The Legacy of Paneau: Emergence
by Sile Crowley
Summary: Sequel to LOP: Audacity. A long-awaited family vacation off world turns into a dangerous struggle for survival for the Rys'tihns and Natiyrs, making heroes of a reluctant youngster and an unlikely ally. Occurs 10.5 APC.
1. Chapter 1

Breathless, Koril Rys'tihn could hardly move. In the back of his mind, he had always known it was going to happen someday, but he hadn't expected to feel such...mixed emotions about it.

Stepping up behind him in the _Celestia_'s main corridor, his friend Mand Natiyr gently gripped his arm, her voice soft as if to keep from startling him.

"Koril? Are you alright?"

He couldn't tear his gaze away. It was all just as he remembered it, right down to the gleeful laughter and clatter of sprinting feet echoing through the ship's open dining hall.

"This is it," he finally managed to respond, his words barely audible. He still had a hard time believing it. "This is what she showed me."

Close to ten years ago, a debilitating virus given to him as part of his capture had all but done its job. Tortured for four straight months with its agony-inducing attacks, he had barely survived, very nearly succumbing to the psychological damage it had caused. His friends had saved him from physical death, but his soul had never been in a darker, more desolate place. To give him the will to continue, an old friend, though long deceased, had intervened, showing him a vision of his family's future...and now he was standing right in front of it.

His oldest son, Derek, sat at a table in the middle of the room with his closest friend Cordira Natiyr, busy playing a fun, challenging card game. Separated by only a year in age, the two were more like siblings, almost always together, and almost always accompanied by Derek's shadow, his younger sister Dirani. At seven years old, she was staunchly determined to keep up with the older two, though they had two and three years on her.

Running circles around the oldest three were the younger ones. Rech and Mand's twin girls Aruun and Arlen were enough of a handful themselves, and with his daughter Kaylina, the four-year-old girls kept each other plenty well entertained. And just along for the chase was Koril's youngest, Kyren, who had just turned three and matched his sister's and friends' playful squealing with amused laughter of his own.

Seven children, a mix of both families and full of nothing but love and affection for each other...and Koril couldn't help but wonder just how much longer it could last.

Still beside him and unaware of his anxiety, Mand sighed wistfully. "It's better than I ever could have imagined."

He had only told Rech and Mand of his vision after their twin girls had been born, a lengthy, difficult ordeal that had nearly killed Mand and drove Rech into deep despair. Because of his vision, he knew the twins would survive, but he had no idea what it would end up costing Mand. Time after time, it had seemed inevitable over those months that the struggle would indeed claim her life, and he had even added to her frailty himself. Thanks to overwhelming help and support from their friends and family, Mand had recovered well, and Aruun and Arlen had grown up completely unhindered, avoiding any further health problems since.

But another issue entirely threatened to break their tightknit families apart, and again, it was partially his fault.

Finally picking up on his distress, she gingerly tightened her grip on his arm in support. "Koril... Things _will_ improve. Please don't give up."

He turned to meet her gaze, appreciating her small, hopeful smile. Though he couldn't return it at all, her friendship during such a strenuous time was...relieving. He tossed a furtive glance at the _Celestia_'s bridge behind them where he knew his wife was, but as much as he wanted to see her, his muscles were frozen. He couldn't bring himself to move.

Again, Mand spoke up quietly, having followed his line of sight. She could read his mind, he was certain.

"I think Rech's trying to talk to her."

Instantly snapped out of his daze, he left her side, making his way to the stairs on the opposite side of the dining hall. The children continued their antics uninterrupted, hardly even noticing his presence.

"I'll be up on the observation deck, then."

If his dark, heavy tone hadn't gotten his point across, his warning glare he gave her as he looked back certainly did.

He was to be left alone.

* * *

"Have you _tried_ to think about it from his perspective?"

Frustrated with Rech's casual insistence, Elena Rys'tihn crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. This was not the topic she had wanted to begin their week-long vacation on. They had only been in hyperspace for a few hours, but apparently their troubles weren't left behind on Paneau as she had hoped. Indignant, she said nothing in response, prompting Rech to continue unsolicited from his seat beside her.

"This was his decision to make, Elena, not yours. You can counsel and lecture him all you want, but ultimately, it's his choice. I'm sure I don't have to remind you that Cordira's was made for her, as much as we tried to fight it."

He'd only angered her further. "So you're taking their side. Obviously, you don't see it from _my_ perspective."

"Maybe I don't. Tell me how you see it." It was unbelievably infuriating how calm he remained. He should have been a diplomat, not a Master Healer...

Taking in a slow breath to keep a civil tongue, she had to steady the waver in her voice, too. She'd had this argument with Koril a dozen times over the past week already, but it still chilled her to the core with each exchange.

"Master Noor sacrificed his _life_ so Derek could live," she managed, her strength sapped by her deep pain. "He had to know then that Derek was worth that sacrifice. Somehow, he knew what Derek had the potential to become, how powerful and how useful he would be. For him to refuse to attend the Jedi Academy would be to refuse to honor Master Noor's legacy."

He remained contemplative a long moment before he countered softly. "You think Master Noor would have let your son die...if he didn't think he was _worthy_ enough of being saved?"

Feeling her cheeks blushing with embarrassment, she stared hard at the floor, finding imperfections in the otherwise smooth durasteel. He had twisted her words uncomfortably. "That night at his funeral...Master Kanomin told me that there was _always_ a reason for everything Master Noor did. There's no way we can ask him why now, but...it seems pretty clear to me." She returned her gaze to Rech, her voice quiet and trembling but intense. "He chose to save my son's life...at the cost of leaving his own children behind. If that doesn't speak to the high expectations he had for what Derek would do...I don't know what does."

Though initially Rech seemed sympathetic to the point she was making, he calmly blindsided her with another observation she hadn't even considered.

"What about this... Couldn't it be possible that Master Noor's sacrifice wasn't about Derek at all?"

She stared at him blankly, too stunned to even breathe. Of course it had been about Derek, how could it not? The Dark Jedi she had been dueling on that Coruscant landing platform was preparing to attack her with Force Lightning when Master Noor intervened, sparing Derek's tiny life within her. There was no other explanation, no other reason than that.

"If you had...lost him in that duel," he continued carefully, "especially since you didn't even know about him in the first place, would you have stayed on Paneau? Would you have stayed with Koril?"

Immediately incensed, her eyes narrowed. "How _dare_ you," she breathed darkly. "I loved Koril before we...before I knew about Derek."

"And yet you still left him, even after you found out."

Her fury was quickly replaced by pain and regret as memories of her poor choices flooded back to her. She couldn't steady her voice any longer.

"I was...scared," she confessed quietly, "but I realized that what I did to Koril was wrong, and I came back."

"And think about everything that happened after that, everything that we were all involved in. If you hadn't stayed, Mand and I wouldn't have had any reason to stay, either. We would have gone back to Coruscant to be closer to my parents. Where would that have left Paneau? A scarred, wounded planet having to recover with only a young, inexperienced king to guide it. Koril wouldn't have survived long, if at all, and that would've left the Rys'tihn Royal Family without any more Known Heirs, and the Royal Forces without a leader to unite them as they faced attack after attack.

"Master Noor only told you that he had to protect 'him'," he concluded. "Maybe you're right. Maybe he did save your son because he knew what Derek could become. But...maybe you're wrong. Maybe Master Noor was much wiser than we ever knew, and he was protecting much, much more than just one life."

As much as she didn't want to admit it, she could see his point. Still, it didn't make the pain of disappointment and betrayal hurt any less.

"Derek can still be a Jedi, Elena. He doesn't have to go to the Academy for us all to teach him what we know. That's what Mand and I plan to do with Cordira now."

She gave a soft snort as she shook her head. "He told me he'd rather be a pilot."

Despite her condescending tone, Rech weakly grinned in response. "Well, his father started out as one, and look where it got him. He could do worse." She didn't share his lighter mood, though. "Come on, don't dwell on this too long. I know you've been planning and looking forward to this trip for months, so you should enjoy it. This may be the last chance we have to take a vacation like this, all of us together."

She couldn't argue with that. Releasing a light sigh, she glanced forward at the cockpit where their pilot, Lt. Saross Wip, was seated at the controls. Since his presence there was needless in the middle of their hyperspace flight, he was only focused on Yhren Natiyr, his girlfriend of several years, who sat beside him. They were happy and wholly engrossed in each other, completely unaware of the weighty discussion taking place just behind them. Their quiet, carefree laughter was almost comforting, and it brought back a lightness to Elena's heart she had been waiting for since her difficulties had begun earlier in the week.

For the sake of her children, she finally allowed herself to smile, earning an even larger one from Rech in return.


	2. Chapter 2

With their game finished, Derek leaned back from the table, rolling his eyes playfully at the smug grin on Cordira's face.

"Bragging isn't funny."

Her grin only broadened. "Neither is losing."

"Maybe I let you win," he teased. "Wouldn't want you to be sore about it this whole week."

With a laugh, Cordira had begun to respond, probably to challenge him to another game, but Dirani interrupted her, skipping back up to the table from the corridor as she tossed her long, shimmering white hair behind her importantly.

"Hey, Cordira! Can I ask you a question?"

Immediately Cordira's expression fell, anticipating Dirani's thinly veiled aggression. "Okay."

Dirani's sour attitude toward Cordira was a relatively new development, and Derek couldn't figure it out. Cordira was constantly on the defensive against Dirani's attacks, and as far as he knew, there hadn't been any one incident that had started it.

Despite her faint smile, her tone was anything but kind. "Have you ever actually been to Coruscant?"

Cordira nodded carefully. "Yes. My grandparents live there."

"But _you_ don't live there. You weren't born there. You were born on Paneau. Why do you try to make it sound like you're Coruscanti when you're not?"

Derek narrowed his eyes. "Knock it off, Dirani."

"What?" she feigned innocence as she continued to skip around the table, avoiding his reach. "I'm just curious. She grew up with us, but none of us have an accent. Does she think she's better than us?"

Though he didn't know how, Cordira managed to stay calm. "I'm not better than anyone. This is just how I've always talked."

Unimpressed, Dirani snorted indignantly. "Sounds fake to me." Before either of them could protest again, she made a dramatic gesture as she walked away, adopting an intentionally exaggerated Coruscanti accent. "I'm going to go sit with Lieutenant Wip on the bridge."

Derek only watched his sister leave for a brief moment, more concerned instead for Cordira and how Dirani's antics had hurt her. She didn't move or even breathe for a long time, but when she finally looked to him, he gave her a reassuring smile.

"You shouldn't let her get to you," he soothed. "She's probably just more jealous than anything."

Unconvinced, Cordira gave a short, weak laugh. "Jealous? Of me and my 'fake' accent?"

"I know it's not fake, and I've always liked it. Makes you...unique. You stand out."

She rolled her eyes. "Like I need something else to make me stand out. My hair does a good enough job of that."

Her bright, fire-red hair did seem to command attention wherever they went, even in the hallways of the Dalon Provincial Academy they had both attended since they were young. He had always adored her vibrant hair, though, and no matter how many times he had told her so, she still hated it just the same. When her expression fell even further in their silence, he softened his voice.

"What is it?"

She held his gaze for a lengthy moment before she let go of a weary, reluctant sigh, unwilling to answer him. He gave her another confident smile to ease her fears, and once she checked around the open room to be sure they wouldn't be overheard, she mustered up the courage to speak.

"...I know where my accent came from now. But I've never told anyone, not even my parents. _Especially_ not my parents."

Keenly interested, he leaned a little closer to her, closing the distance between them over the table. "You know your secret's safe with me. I won't tell a soul."

She still seemed hesitant, but another encouraging smile from him eventually won her over.

"Do you remember when we learned about the most recent Banarecc Royals in school last year?"

He nodded. "Yeah, Mom told me she and Dad were really good friends with King Veon and Queen Tascit. Your parents were, too. They both died a while ago, though."

Cordira agreed, continuing slowly as if she didn't believe her own words. "The whole time we were studying them, I felt like I already knew Queen Tascit. She was...familiar, but I didn't know why for the longest time. When I was really little, I remember always having a friend with me when my parents were gone, which was...a lot. She was an older woman, but she was so kind, encouraging, helpful... She even taught me the first Force skills I ever learned, years before my mom tried to show me how to do anything.

"I used to think that I had made her up, that I had just been imagining her when I was lonely, but when I saw those holos of Queen Tascit in class...I realized it was _her,_ her Force Ghost that had kept me company when no one else was around. And I remember her voice very clearly - calm, soothing...and Coruscanti." She paused, breathing lightly. "I got my accent from her."

Derek could only stare in awe. "A Force Ghost? That's amazing! She appeared to you all the time?"

Not expecting his enthusiastic reaction, she shrugged shyly. "Yeah, like she was...attached to me for some reason. I'm not sure why."

"Well, didn't she die in the Dalon Palace collapse? You were born that same day...maybe even at the exact same moment."

Cordira looked stunned, as if she hadn't even considered what could have connected her to Paneau's former queen. She seemed haunted and even slightly disturbed by it, but he reached up and gently gripped her shoulder, grinning broadly to lift her spirits.

"Cordira, that is so special. Do you know how rare it is that a Jedi can do that? And for her to have stayed with you for so long...she must have really wanted to be sure you were okay."

Her shoulders hunched with her insecurity. "So...it's not weird?"

"No, it's not weird. I was named for the Jedi Master who saved my life, but," he added with a laugh, "he doesn't bother to visit me. You're lucky."

Finally able to, she giggled, as well, feeling better with his assurances, and he felt better, too. He was glad that he could help her forget Dirani's unwarranted hostility; her laughter was just an added bonus.

He had begun to suggest they go check on their younger siblings who had disappeared, having chased Kaydee into one of the rear holds, but a strange feeling took him over, locking an icy pang of terror in his chest. It had been a long time since he could remember experiencing such a sensation, and he hadn't been more than a year and a half old that first time...

"_Oh no_..."

"Derek? What's wrong?"

He could hardly think fast enough. "Go get your dad," he somehow managed to say. "Bring him up to the observation deck, _hurry!"_

Though she struggled to process his command, she nodded and sprinted for the bridge, just as he took off in the other direction, climbing the spiral staircase as fast as he could.

* * *

Forcing his eyes open, Koril Rys'tihn drew in the deepest breaths of his life, seeming to be nearly enough to burst his lungs. He was so disoriented he couldn't even determine that he was no longer standing, but laying flat on his back on the floor. His heart was racing, now that it was beating again, and once his eyes were able to focus, he looked over just in time to see his son frantically running to his side.

"Dad! _Dad!_ Are you okay?"

He reached out to the boy as he landed on his knees beside him, hoping to calm him. "Derek... It's okay," he answered breathlessly. "I'm alright." Getting his bearings back, he began to prop himself up from the floor, but Derek was quick to stop him, pressing his shoulders down.

"No, Dad, don't! Just stay still. Master Natiyr is on his way."

Just relieved to still be alive, he didn't protest, focused instead on Derek who was still so worried. Had his son felt his condition through the Force, the same way his wife did every time he crashed? Even as he stroked the side of Derek's face, affectionately ruffling his sandy brown hair that seemed to be getting lighter every day, Derek remained upset.

"Derek, _relax_... I'll be okay."

Before Derek could say anything in reply, the sound of footsteps thundering up the stairs from the lower level earned their attention as his friends came racing to his aid. Rech was the first to reach him, taking Derek's place at Koril's side and extending a healing hand to him to begin his work while Mand, Elena, and Cordira gathered all around him.

"Koril, what happened?" Rech asked with quiet intensity, already slowing his heart's rapid pace. Koril could only shake his head.

"I don't know. It felt like my heart stopped... It took my breath away, and I blacked out. Woke up here." He swallowed hard, releasing a heavy, tense breath. "I didn't have any warning, it just hit me."

Knelt at his side opposite Rech, Elena picked up Koril's hand and held it tightly, her grave concern evident in her grip and in her eyes though she was silent and maintained her gaze on Rech.

"How are you feeling now?"

"There's a...tightness, a pressure in my chest, but it's getting better."

Rech closed his eyes to concentrate, lightly placing his hand on Koril's forehead. "Anything else?"

"No." With Rech's healing efforts, Koril could feel his anxiety waning. "I think it scared me more than anything... It's been so long since I've felt anything like this."

"Eight years," Mand needlessly reminded him, her voice distant. He nodded anyway, but as Rech sat back from him, he held his breath as he waited for the Master Healer's report.

"Well, the good news is I can't find anything structurally wrong."

Though initially relieved, Koril took in and released a slow breath. "So what does that mean?"

"It means," Rech continued warily, "the bad news is, it could have been an isolated event that we can't predict or remedy, or it could be a symptom of something worse, like a chemical imbalance that's interfering with your heart's function."

He didn't need the Force to feel the weight of everyone's spirits as they sank in the silence. He sighed after a pause, almost afraid to ask... "What would cause an imbalance?"

"Assuming you haven't had any spiked drinks recently," Rech gave him a pointed look, "it could be any number of things." When Rech glanced over at Elena and held her gaze for a tense moment, Koril knew what he was inferring before he had even said it. "You _have_ been under a lot of...stress recently. That could have easily affected your system."

Elena wouldn't even look him in the eye. "We should go back home."

"No," Koril countered immediately, finally drawing Elena's gaze. She looked down at him incredulously, forcing him to bargain with Rech. "If it's just an imbalance, can't it be fixed with an injection or medication of some kind?"

Despite being wary of getting in the middle of their lengthy, complicated argument, Rech eventually nodded. "If that's even the cause, I'd have to run some tests to determine what we'd need to adjust, but...yes, it could be fixed that way."

But Elena continued to protest. "Koril, this isn't something to just shrug off. There could be something seriously wrong - "

"So we'll make a stop somewhere nearby to have me checked out," he countered, keeping his tone level. "I don't want to ruin everyone's vacation if there's no reason to. I feel fine now."

Though Elena had opened her mouth to continue, she stopped, meeting the faintly disappointed expressions that both Derek and Cordira wore as they stood beside Rech. More than any of their children, the two oldest had been looking forward to their trip, as it was their first chance to travel somewhere other than their homeworld of Paneau and their second home on Coruscant. And Elena knew very well that Koril had always put others' needs ahead of his own; keeping his children happy would be no different. She gave a frustrated sigh before she looked to Rech, reluctantly giving in.

"You'll stay with him?"

Rech nodded. "Have Swip land us on the closest planet with a decent medical center."

With only one more brief glance at him, Elena wordlessly stood from Koril's side, dropping his hand just as swiftly. Mand carefully followed after her, bewildered as the rest of them were, leaving Rech to put a hand on Koril's shoulder sympathetically while Derek and Cordira exchanged worried looks.


	3. Chapter 3

Slinging a travel bag over his shoulder with supplies for their trip into Worlport, the capital city of Ord Mantell, Rech looked up at Koril, seated silently at the _Celestia_'s controls. The ship had been docked and powered down for half an hour already and the console remained quiet, but locked in a daze, Koril stared down at it blankly.

"...Koril?"

Though it took him a few moments to react, Koril turned back to Rech, meeting his gaze reluctantly. Rech only watched him silently, though, leading Koril to misinterpret his concern.

"I'm alright," he offered quickly to preempt any inquiries about his health, but that wasn't entirely the subject of Rech's worry. He arched his eyebrows at his troubled friend, again asking his question without words. Eventually, Koril understood, returning his attention to the controls in front of him with an expression Rech could only describe as...lost.

"Were you...with her earlier," Koril began distantly, "when I crashed?"

Rech took in and released a slow breath, unsure where Koril's thoughts were going. "We were sitting back here behind the bridge, yes. We had been talking for a while when Cordira came to get me."

His voice was noticeably weaker. "...did she even react?"

Thankful that Koril was facing the other direction and wouldn't see his reaction, Rech's eyes closed in realization. In the past, Elena had always been the first to notice Koril's health crises, thanks to their deepening connection in the Force. She had felt his preliminary wave of torture as the Huxnel virus had taken hold of him years ago, and some time after that, she had simultaneously experienced his cardiac arrest as he collapsed just meters away from her. Though he was untrained, his raw strength in the Force had created a link between them early in their relationship, but lately, tensions seemed to have...severely weakened their bond.

He had to answer carefully. "If she did...I didn't see it. She was turned away from me."

Koril's defeated disappointment was well evident as his shoulders sagged significantly, and it would be long, tense moments before he spoke again. "I think she's...blocked me, cut me off completely. I've never felt so...alone."

Sensing a weighty discussion that needed to take place before they left, Rech tugged the bag off his shoulder and set it to the side before stepping up into the cockpit, slowly sitting in the vacant copilot chair. Koril's eyes didn't lift from the console in front of him, though.

"I know she seems to be very...cold and detached right now, but I think I was able to get through to her when we talked, at least somewhat. It'll take time, but she'll come to accept Derek's decision, and you two will reconnect. She _is_ worried about you, Koril. Don't think she's not."

When Koril finally turned and met his gaze, Rech wasn't expecting to see so much guilt in his expression.

"It's _killing_ me that I can't tell her."

Rech furrowed his brows. "You can't tell her what?"

He swallowed hard, so noticeably reluctant to confess... "The _real_ reason that Derek won't go to the Jedi Academy."

"She said he wanted to become a pilot instead."

Koril nodded weakly. "He told her that because...because he can't bring himself to tell her, either." Another lengthy silence stretched between the two, heightening Rech's anticipation... "Derek refuses to go to the Academy...because Cordira _can't_."

It took nearly a full minute for Koril's words to sink in, and the realization froze his breath in his chest. His daughter Cordira had been denied acceptance to the Jedi Academy more than a year prior, and the months that followed had been...difficult for him and his wife, to say the least. They had to explain to a nine-year-old girl, long before they had planned to and well before she was ready, that she was denied because she was essentially a clone of her mother, a result of illegal experimentation done on Mand in her late teens. Of course, Cordira's reaction was just as expected; in shock and feeling betrayed, she had completely closed herself off from both of her parents, only speaking to them when required. It had been a long, private struggle for them as a family, but he never could have imagined that it would spill over and affect the Rys'tihns, too...

"Koril," Rech finally managed to speak, "...I had no idea. I...I don't know what to say."

He seemed sympathetic. "He says he's standing on principle, that it wasn't fair what they did to Cordira, and he doesn't want to have any part of it until they fix it."

Rech still struggled to force out air to form words. "We have exhausted _every_ possible appeal we could find - "

"I know," Koril interrupted, "and he knows that, too, but...he still won't budge, not when he feels this strongly about it. Mostly, I think he's refusing to go because he doesn't want to leave her behind...and I can respect that."

"Koril...you _have_ to tell Elena."

Returning his gaze to the console in front of him, Koril looked even more defeated. "It's not my place to tell her. That's Derek's choice."

"The longer you wait to tell her, the worse her reaction is going to be. And it looks like withholding it from her has taken its toll on you already; this kind of stress obviously isn't very healthy for you."

Before he responded, Koril turned in his seat in a siwngle fluid motion and looked to the rear of the bridge, leading Rech to do the same. He wasn't expecting to see their two oldest children standing there, nor was he sure just how much of his conversation with Koril they had heard. Enough, he mused, judging by the sudden pallid color to Derek's face.

"Derek? Do you need something?"

Somewhat startled by his father's voice addressing him, Derek swallowed and hesitated before he answered. "Dad...Cordira and I were wondering...if we could go with you into the city."

The boy still seemed so shaken by Koril's collapse earlier, and Rech couldn't help but hear a slight tinge of guilt in his tone. Koril had picked up on it, too, but he kept his mood light.

"Did you ask your mothers?"

Cordira only nodded in response, continuing to speak as little as possible in Rech's presence, leaving Derek to answer aloud. "Yeah, they're okay with it if you are."

With a brief glance at Rech beside him, Koril nodded with a weak smile. "Alright. It'll be nice to have some extra company. I may get bored waiting on my test results."

Though Derek looked a little relieved, he said nothing more, meekly stepping aside from the corridor to Cordira's left. The silence lingered only a moment before Lt. Wip approached, walking onto the bridge with purpose.

"High Commander, Master Natiyr, ready to leave when you are."

But Koril shook his head. "I want you to stay with Elena and Mand, please, Swip. Rech and I will be fine."

Expectedly, Swip's expression fell, though he was quick to correct it. "Sir, you should have more protection when you're in a weakened state like this - "

"I am _not_ weak," Koril corrected with a sudden edge that surprised everyone present, but it was short lived. Without warning, Koril gasped and clutched his chest, seeming to choke momentarily as he coughed to catch his breath. Rech was instantly at his side, placing a hand on his shoulder to extend the Force's healing power to him. He noticed right away how strangely Koril's heart was beating, and he worked quickly to settle it into a normal rhythm. The panic eased from Koril's expression as he felt Rech's influence and began feeling better, but the episode had done little to calm Lt. Wip, who remained in place. Only when Rech gave him a confident nod of dismissal did the Edgepoint leave the bridge and return to the main hold, albeit quite reluctantly.

Of course, Swip's primary focus as the personal pilot and bodyguard of the Rys'tihns' was Paneau's High Commander, but Koril had never allowed himself to be prioritized over anyone, much less over his family. Dutifully, though, Swip still tried, and Rech could definitely sympathize with him.

"You shouldn't be so hard on him, you know," Rech spoke up carefully. "You did have his job once, remember?"

Already regretting his harsh words, Koril nodded. "I know, I shouldn't have snapped. I just still feel so...strange after what happened earlier. Even with your help just now, I still feel like...something's wrong."

Reclaiming his bag, Rech stepped towards the rear of the bridge, extending his hand to lead them all out. "Then let's go get you checked so we can fix it."


	4. Chapter 4

Having been a patient in more than half a dozen medical centers across the galaxy in recent years, Koril was well versed in the routine of his stays. Scans here, blood tests there, and an endless parade of medical personnel about his room at all hours of the day or night were all so familiar. Though he wasn't sure how serious his condition was on this visit, the choreography was just the same as the previous times. Even the air was similar; it was supposed to be clean and sterile, but to him, it smelled like...anxiety, and despondency, as memories of his past suffering flooded back to him all at once.

The apprehension about his health was nothing new, but ever since he had woken up on the floor of the _Celestia_'s upper deck, a heavy, desolate feeling had kept an unrelenting grip on his heart. At times, he even felt like his breathing was slowed because of it, as though his lungs were shutting down under the weight of such despair. Was it due to the connection he suddenly no longer felt with Elena, or was it because of the stress of their argument? Was his body reacting physically to the secret he was carrying for his son Derek, as Rech had suspected? Or was it a warning about something else entirely? He couldn't remember experiencing another vision of the future with his blackout, like the one that had haunted his dreams for months before he and the Natiyrs encountered those Dark Jedi on Coruscant, but it had left him with very nearly the same feeling.

Despite the intense urge he felt to be pacing his room, or even to simply be standing, he remained reclined in his bed, absentmindedly listening to the monitors that beeped to his heart beat behind him. As far as he could tell, it had been steady and normal since they had arrived in Wolport hours ago. Rech had insisted on being thorough, though, and who was Koril to argue with a Master Healer? He just hoped he'd be released soon; the two families were to reconvene for dinner in the city before they continued on to Aquilaris...

He looked out his room's window to the activity in the hallway, not surprised to find Rech conversing with Dr. Do'rrffal, one of the facility's Bothan attending physicians. Their discussion seemed to be fairly calm and somewhat friendly, Koril observed, and Rech even gave him a furtive thumbs up when the doctor had glanced away. The gesture made Koril grin, albeit weakly, but at least it was a good sign.

Though he was curious where their two oldest children had gone, his question was answered as Derek entered the room, leaving Cordira behind in the hall outside. The nine-year-old boy looked more and more like a younger version of himself every day, except for his piercing green eyes that definitely belonged to his mother...

"Dad?" Derek began carefully, still stepping up to his side. "...can I talk to you?"

Hearing the timidness and hesitance in Derek's voice concerned Koril, leading him to swiftly sit up and face his son. "Of course, Derek. What's wrong?"

As Koril placed his feet on the floor beside his bed, Derek looked alarmed as he moved, seemingly afraid that his father was still in poor shape. Thankfully, his heart monitors never fluctuated with his change in position, calming the boy's worry somewhat. He swallowed nervously as Koril watched him, eventually speaking again after a few long moments.

"I...I've been thinking," he continued quietly, his eyes darting everywhere but to meet Koril's gaze. "When we get back home to Paneau...I want to pack so I can go to the Jedi Academy, if they will still take me."

Though not entirely caught off guard, Koril studied Derek silently before he responded. "If that's what you want," he answered with a gentle, supportive tone and a nod. "What's changed your mind?"

As Derek looked up, Koril could see the patent guilt in his emerald eyes. "I don't want you to be sick anymore. If I go, then you and Mom will stop fighting about it, and you'll get better..."

Stunned, Koril could hardly breathe. Hopefully the monitors wouldn't register the acute heartache he felt for his son's grief, prolonging his stay... "Derek...this was _not_ your fault." Finding the strength to move again, he reached up and gently gripped Derek by the shoulders, holding his gaze with grim concern. "I don't _ever_ want you to think that, do you understand me?" Earning a small, scared nod from him, he released a short breath as he softened his voice. "I have been dealing with this since you were a baby. I was very, very sick when you were born, and I really haven't been the same since. This kind of...episode has happened a few times before, but I've always been lucky enough to have been in good company. They figure out what's wrong, and I'm better in no time.

"But I want you to listen to me," he reiterated firmly, "you did _nothing _to cause this. Your mother and I argue all the time, and it's never affected me before." He had to give a weak laugh. "In fact, if we ever _do_ agree on something right away, that's when you'll know something's wrong." Derek's mood seemed to be lightening with Koril's reassurances as he laughed a little, too, allowing Koril to continue. "Whatever you decide to do, I want it to be _your_ decision, Derek, not anyone else's. I've known for a long time that you and your siblings would have to make this kind of a choice, and I knew it wasn't going to be easy on any of us. The four of you are both royalty and Jedi, and though you're not exactly choosing your royal heritage, you're choosing to support your friend. It's so difficult for your mom to understand right now because she doesn't know that. She wants what's best for you, and I do, too. I just think that you deserve to decide that for yourself."

Derek's expression had returned to its somber turmoil with the weighty topic, prompting Koril to pull the boy to a seat on the bed beside him. He wrapped an arm tightly around Derek's shoulders, hugging him affectionately as he gave him a light kiss on the top of his head. "You don't have to make anything final for a few days, okay? We're just going to have fun this week. We can worry about everything else later. Got it?"

Derek nodded weakly. "Okay."

He hugged Derek again, wishing there was more he could do to relieve him of his undeserved guilt. The boy was a sensitive worrier just like his mother, so Koril couldn't fault him for that. It only endeared Derek to him more. "I love you, Son."

Derek returned the embrace just as sincerely. "I love you, too, Dad."

Though he had begun to give Derek further comfort, he heard the door to his room open as Rech, Cordira, and Dr. Do'rrffal stepped inside. It wasn't until Rech gave him a calm smile that Koril released a breath he had been holding.

"Mr. Rys'tihn," the Bothan doctor addressed him cordially with a nod, "good news. Your bloodwork revealed only a minor electrolyte imbalance, which a simple supplement injection can correct when necessary. I've discussed with Master Natiyr the maintenance and observation that will need to continue for a few days, and along with his skill and knowledge, I'm confident the supplement will take care of your condition." With graceful movements, he stepped up to Koril's side and injected a clear medication into an IV line in his arm. "You will be discharged shortly."

Looking to Derek still seated beside him, Koril smiled at his son. "See? Nothing to worry about." He returned to the doctor, nodding his appreciation. "Thank you, Dr. Do'rrffal, for your help."

The Bothan gave a respectful bow before he walked away, leaving the four of them alone in the room. Finally able to, Koril let go of a long breath of relief, and Rech nodded in agreement.

"It won't take much to keep you from having another blackout," Rech reassured him, indicating his bag hanging at his side. "They gave me a decent supply. Should last you until we get back to Paneau."

Glancing up at a chrono on the wall, Koril got to his feet to change back into his uniform, already feeling the supplement's restorative effect. "Looks like we'll be able to make it to dinner with the others after all."

* * *

With all seven little mouths finally fed at a fine restaurant in Wolport's central district, Elena was relieved to be returning to the Rys'tihn yacht to continue their journey. With Derek and Cordira up ahead, she held a sleepy Kyren in her arms while Kaylina and Aruun sprinted laps around her and Mand walking just beside her. Engaged in a quiet discussion behind her, Rech and Koril brought up the rear with Arlen and Dirani holding their hands respectively. They had given Swip and Yhren permission to have a break for the evening with a quiet dinner to themselves, so she wasn't surprised to find the _Celestia_ still locked and dormant as they arrived at their docking bay.

Though they hadn't yet given a signal to the droids inside, the ship's rear ramp began descending as they approached, revealing Kaydee and their purple-paneled astromech Tops already awaiting them. It wasn't long before Kaylina had ascended the ramp and met her friend Tops with an adorable embrace, earning an affectionate chirp and whistle from the companion droid. Aruun continued on inside without stopping, though, and the rest quickly followed, including little Kyren who demanded to be returned to his own two feet. Stopped at the rear of the ship, Elena watched as the children took up their toys and games in the main hold once more and the Natiyrs took seats near the bridge, but she turned to and addressed Kaydee...at the same time that her husband did.

"Anything to report?"

"Was it quiet?"

As if her processors couldn't decide which of the simultaneous questions she would respond to first, Kaydee looked between them both for a moment before she spoke. "Nothing to report, Master Koril," she answered in her normal pleasant tone. "And it was very quiet in our docking bay, Mistress Elena. The sensors detected no aberrant activity while you were away."

The tense silence between them was made all the more difficult as Kaydee remained in place in front of them. It was a full, agonizing minute before Koril dismissed her with a curt nod, and even after the protocol droid left, Elena still avoided Koril's gaze, unsure how to continue.

"I told Swip and Yhren they didn't have to be back for another half hour."

The weakness in his voice concerned her. She could tell that the treatment he had been given at the medical center earlier in the afternoon had greatly improved his mood; she had seen that much in his happy, carefree interactions with the children at dinner. But it seemed that all that had suddenly been erased as he stood there with her, and it pained her more deeply than their arguments had. She couldn't bear to weigh his heart down so heavily any longer...

"Then we have time to talk."

Somewhat surprised by her offer, Koril searched her eyes for a moment before he agreed, leading her to their bedroom where they could have a few minutes' privacy.


	5. Chapter 5

Before Koril even had a chance to sit down on the bench in their room, Elena had already begun the conversation in her head. Everything she tried to say, though, sounded nothing less than inadequate. As she paced back and forth in front of him, she formed the words a dozen times, but her emotions continually took over, stifling her voice. Her husband of eight years looked up at her with wary curiosity, patiently waiting for her to speak...once she overcame her intense guilt.

"I know I haven't been handling this very well," she finally managed weakly, staring hard at the floor as she slowly continued. "But I don't think I've explained to you, or to anyone, for that matter, the reason why...

"When I found out I was pregnant with Derek, I had a hundred different thoughts running through my mind. But once that initial shock wore off, the one thing that consumed me the entire pregnancy...was wondering what kind of a Jedi Derek would become. For the first time, I felt a deep, unbreakable connection to a Jedi; it was unlike anything I'd experienced before, and it was almost overwhelming. I could _feel_ his strength in the Force, even before he was born, so there has never been a doubt in my mind where his path would lead him. I haven't discussed this with anyone because I thought that after Master Noor's sacrifice, it was just...understood. Derek would become Master Noor's legacy. And that's where the fault lies with me. That's why this..._hurts_, as much as it does, but it's my own doing."

Feeling her legs beginning to weaken underneath her, she lowered herself onto the bench beside Koril, but she maintained her gaze firmly on the floor in front of her. She even had to consciously control her breathing that had quickened in her distress.

She hardly had the strength to speak. "I just don't want to let Master Noor down."

Though there was a lengthy silence between them, she wasn't expecting to feel his hand gently grip hers as it rested atop her thigh.

"Neither do I."

His voice was that much softer and more sympathetic when she had expected neither, and as she looked up and met his warm gaze, she couldn't restrain a tear.

"You know I owe him just as much for what he did for Derek," he answered quietly, "and even more for all those times he saved _my_ life, too. I think Master Noor would be proud of whatever Derek decides to do, because he will put everything he is into it and do the best he can all the time. He's just that kind of kid. And that's something we can be proud of, too."

She nodded, unable to keep more tears from freely falling. "I am _trying_ to accept it... But it will take me some time. I have to alter my...expectations, quite a bit, and it's not easy." She searched his onyx eyes deeply, desperate to communicate her sincerity. "I am sorry that I took this out on you. I didn't mean to cause you all this stress that made you sick..."

But Koril shook his head with a weak grin that surprised her. "Like mother, like son. It wasn't your fault, either."

Her heart sank. "Derek blamed himself, too."

"But I calmed him down. He's okay now."

Relieved, she squeezed his hand she was still holding as she briskly brushed away her tears with her other hand. "And what about you? Are you feeling alright?"

His smile broadened briefly as he nodded. "I'm fine. Only had to make a minor adjustment, and they sent me with more of the medicine in case I need it." When his expression fell, though, she held her breath. "Just promise me...you won't block me like that again. I may not be a trained Jedi, but...I could tell."

She was sure the blood in her veins was very nearly frozen solid with intense regret. "I was trying to shield you from everything I was feeling so it wouldn't overwhelm you." Though he nodded in understanding, she still regretted putting him through even more suffering...

Standing from her seat, she gently pulled him to his feet, as well, bringing her hands up to delicately cup his face. He looked briefly confused at her gesture, but when she lifted herself up onto her toes to stand even with him, carefully meeting her forehead with his, she could tell he relaxed as he closed his eyes to relish her touch.

It was a familiar moment, an intimate embrace that had always reconnected and refreshed them in times of turmoil over the years, and she couldn't wait to open the Force between them once again. Within moments, it felt like the most perfect comfort, like a warm, personal remedy to their struggles that flowed down into the very core of their being. She shared herself so completely with him as she used the gentleness of the Force to wrap their interwoven consciousness with a breath of clarity and peace, calming their worries and their insecurities as the seconds slipped by in silence...

She could feel his heartbeat was continuing to slow the longer they stood together, and not wanting to cause him further problems, she slowly brought them both out of the light trance, still holding tightly to his tunic at his shoulders. Her eyes remained closed, though, as she savored the last of their moment, finished by a light, earnest kiss he gave her. Finally able to, she smiled as she looked up at him, studying his contented eyes briefly.

"I want to enjoy this week."

He agreed. "So let's enjoy it. Swip and Yhren should be back soon, and we only have a few more hours to Aquilaris."

Firmly taking hold of his hand at his side, she stole another kiss before they left their embrace. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Though it had been perfectly silent in their room, the scene they returned to within the _Celestia_'s hold was just as they had left it. The Natiyr twins were playing a game of tag with Kaylina and Kyren that took them up the spiral staircase, being overseen by Tops who pretended to chase after them, too. Rech and Mand were watching from the bridge up ahead, but as Elena had begun to ask them about their pilot and his girlfriend, Koril's grip on her hand suddenly tightened and loosened at the same time, earning her attention.

"Elena..."

She quickly turned to see the pallid tone to Koril's skin that hadn't been there mere seconds earlier, nor had the look of fear and dread that now filled his eyes. She hardly had the chance to react before he wavered and sank to the floor, watching helplessly as he hadn't the strength to break his own fall. Her hand caught his head at the last possible second, and with a breath she hadn't felt herself take, she called for Rech in a haze of denial. Everything was happening so slowly, she was almost certain she was reliving a memory; Koril had just told her he had been treated for his minor illness, so it was just a dream, wasn't it?

As Koril's eyes fell heavily, a strange weight seemed to land upon her, too. She pressed her fingers into his neck, fearing the worst, but...his heart was beating just fine. Her mind was inexplicably becoming more and more clouded with each passing moment, and by the time she registered the profound weakness in her own body and the irreversible darkness that descended upon her...it was far too late.

She met Rech's gaze with warning as he knelt beside Koril, and the realization hit him hard, too. He returned to his feet in an instant, leaving her to collapse onto her side just next to her husband. With the last seconds of consciousness she could hold onto, she heard Rech's shuffling steps as he tried to reach the staircase to get to the children...and the thud of his weight falling to the floor was the last thing to echo in her ears.

* * *

When the stampede of footsteps coming up the staircase suddenly stopped, Cordira turned to look, but she quickly lost interest. The four youngest had developed their own style of games, and this particular edition of tag incorporated a strange round of follow-the-leader, usually in dizzying concentric circles, when the tagger changed hands. At least they kept themselves occupied.

Laying on her stomach on the floor with a holobook, Dirani yawned dramatically. "This trip is _so_ boring. Are we ever going to leave?"

"I think we're waiting for Swip," Derek answered, though he yawned, too, sitting at a table across from Cordira. "He took Yhren out on a date."

With a disgusted sound, Dirani scoffed. "Ew. Boys."

Though she sat with her back to Dirani, Cordira had to roll her eyes. "You have two brothers. Boys aren't that bad."

When Dirani didn't respond, Cordira grinned triumphantly. It wasn't very often that their banter left Dirani speechless; in fact, it had never happened that Cordira could recall. She decided to have fun with it. "You can't date your brothers. That's gross."

But when she turned around again, she saw that Dirani had laid her head down onto her arms and was motionless, appearing to be asleep. Cordira had begun to celebrate her victory, laughing to herself in disbelief, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw the younger children all leave their circle and stumble to the floor at the same time. Were they making a game of being silly, too? She watched them for a few moments, but each child was...completely still, and completely asleep.

"...Aruun? Arlen?"

Kaylina and Kyren didn't stir, either.

"Derek! Derek, something's wrong!"

She returned to him, not expecting to find him resting his head on the table, too. "Derek, this is _not_ funny," she charged as she shook his shoulders. "Wake up!"

Panic was beginning to set in, but before she could think of or process much else, she heard a scary, unfamiliar voice echoing up to the observation deck from the main hold below.

"Nobody move! We're commandeering this ship!"


	6. Chapter 6

Shrewd, cackling laughter filtered up from the main hold, sending a chill down Cordira's spine. Terrified, she had frozen in place, but another low, booming voice startled her, sending her crouching under the table by sheer reflexes as she listened.

"They're all out, you moron. Why do you always have to announce yourself like they should be afraid of you?"

The first voice gave another wicked laugh. "At least I said 'we' this time! Now they know I'm not alone, Kreg. See? I'm doing us a favor! Even if they were able to, they definitely won't fight back now that they know how outmatched and outnumbered they are."

Kreg grumbled as he lumbered about with heavy steps. "I swear, Xallar, one of these days, your mouth is going to cost us a big job like this one, and I won't even hesitate to report it to Boss. In fact, I'll be first in line to."

But Xallar wasn't fazed, taking twice as many light steps about the hold. "Our little concoction hasn't let us down yet! So much less mess than our usual routine. Never would have guessed your Rodian friends were such good chemists." She heard Xallar grunt a few times with physical effort, and a slumping _thud_ resounded through the hull. "I've never seen an inhaled sedative work so well before, though. Are you sure they're all still alive?"

"They're fine," Kreg answered with irritation. "It's the compound Jardo put on the food they ate that knocked them out. The gas we pumped into the docking bay just activated it in their bloodstream."

Cordira could hardly breathe in her shock. She knew that her parents and the Rys'tihns were just below in the main hold, but were they suddenly asleep just like her sisters and friends were? She had eaten the exact same dinner they all had, so she had no idea why she was the only one still wide awake and completely unaffected. If the two men just wanted to take their ship, what were they planning to do with the eleven of them? Did they even know about all of the children upstairs, or that there were two more people who were supposed to be joining them on the ship at any minute? Her heart was _racing_...

"Ohh, Kreg. We are going to be _so_ rich after this take."

"What are you talking about? Are there bounties on these people?"

"Better than bounties. These...these are _Jedi_! I see _three_ lightsabers. Three! Do you know how much just _one_ of them will go for in our circle alone?"

"How about we just get this yacht back to Boss, and _then_ we can go through their things. I don't like standing around waiting for security to get too curious about a ship that's been cleared to leave but is just sitting here so quiet."

Xallar gave another grunt as she heard a heavy weight being dragged across the floor. "Fine. Get the other woman from the bridge and bring her back here."

Though their discussion continued, Cordira couldn't hear anything beyond a few scattered, muffled words as they moved further away from the spiral staircase that connected the two levels. In a panic, a thousand thoughts raced through her head, each one as unhelpful as the last. What was she going to do? What _could_ she do against two criminals, and likely more, that had already incapacitated her parents, two of the most powerful Jedi she knew? She was only ten years old, denied the chance to train at the Jedi Academy and only minimally trained in hand-to-hand combat by her mother over the years...

Something in the back of her mind was telling her to hide, and initially seeing few other options, she was forced to agree. But she couldn't just disappear and leave her sisters and the Rys'tihn kids alone and vulnerable; she had to help them first before she tried to do anything else. Where in the luxury yacht could she stash the six of them, though, without alerting the two down in the main hold that one of their captives was still awake and seemingly immune to their sedative?

If there was anyone who knew the _Celestia_ inside and out, it was its owner, Mr. Rys'tihn, but he was unconscious below with the other adults. Derek might've known, too, but he was asleep just like the rest. Maybe the Rys'tihn maintenance or protocol droids would be familiar enough with the old ship, but where were they?

A door behind her swept open without warning, eliciting a startled gasp from her that was much louder than she had anticipated. Immediately she clasped her hands over her mouth to stifle her breathing, listening with dread as she feared she had been discovered...

"My goodness! What's happened here?"

The familiar beeps and whistles of an astromech quickly followed Kaydee's inquiry, and Cordira couldn't get up from under the table to quiet them fast enough.

"_Shh!_" she demanded softly, waving her hands in earnest to stop the two droids that had emerged from a supply closet at the other end of the upper deck. They both came to a halt at the same time, but had she silenced them before they were overheard? She listened without breathing, waiting to hear the sound of footsteps storming up the stairs...but they never came, even after she waited an entire minute, keeping perfectly still. When she was sure their attackers hadn't reacted to them, she carefully stepped over to the two droids, her voice hushed but intense.

"There are two men downstairs, and they've put everyone to sleep, even the adults. I don't know why I'm not affected, but I don't think they know that I'm still awake or that we're up here."

Tops whistled cautiously, sweeping his dome back and forth to look about the deck, but Kaydee was quick to respond.

"Don't be absurd, Tops, of _course_ she's not armed. She is just a child." Returning to her, Kaydee shook her head. "Mistress Cordira, our safest course of action would be to contact the local authorities for help. They should be able to alert our Royal Guard at home, who can then activate any nearby covert agents to assist us."

Tops turned his dome to Kaydee with an obvious pause, and somehow Cordira knew exactly what he was thinking: there wasn't enough time to wait for outside help, and he wasn't about to back down from protecting his family, despite the apparent odds stacked against them. And now that she had a few extra "hands" to fight back with, although they were droids, Cordira felt her confidence returning and her fear subsiding. She still had the Force, and she had her instincts that had served her well in the past.

This wasn't the time to be scared. Her family and friends were counting on her.

"Tops, are there any secret compartments here, like the ones the Rys'tihn Crests open in the Manor?"

The astromech beeped affirmatively, slowly rolling over to a bulkhead near the rear of the deck. Keeping her footsteps light, Cordira went to Derek's side and gently tugged his Crest off of his neck before she followed after Tops. He directed her to a wall just beside the bulkhead, and pressing the Rys'tihn Crest to it, the previously seamless panel popped open with a soft hiss and revealed a short but adequate room to hide everyone in. She worked as quickly as she could without making much noise, picking up the little ones first and carefully placing them inside one by one. Just as she returned to Derek, preparing to lift him under his arms, she felt the rumbling roar of the engines powering up beneath her feet.

"Oh my," Kaydee worried aloud, "where are we going?"

Thankfully Tops was quick to quiet her, although it sounded much harsher in binary than Cordira would have been. The added noise of the ship taking off helped to mask her efforts as she dragged Derek's bulk and laid him down in the compartment next to his siblings, and taking one last look at the six to make sure they were all situated well enough, she released a weak breath and closed the panel. For safe keeping, she draped the Rys'tihn Crest she had taken from Derek over her own head, settling it atop her chest with care.

It was all up to her now. With only two droids and the Force to guide her, she had to figure out how to take back the ship from the two pirates below before they made it to their destination, wherever that was.

* * *

No cliched saying rang true quite like the one a grungy, limping spacer said aloud as he and a friend passed by.

"If you've seen one spaceport, you've seen 'em all."

Horatio Sheridan knew it all too well. He had visited no less than thirty spaceports all over the Outer Rim and the Mid Rim in the past two months, and they were beginning to blend together in his head. He was even starting to see the same spacers day in and day out, briefly making him paranoid that he was being followed. His constant traveling was taking a noticeable toll on his stamina and on his mood, but there was always just one more clue to find, one more lead to pursue...

Worlport's main spaceport was just like all the rest. It was decent enough, but the centuries of use and decay looked and smelled the same anywhere, no matter how opulent or advanced the city that surrounded it. Even the incessant roaring of engines overhead became a familiar tune, one that Horatio had long since blocked out. He was focused instead on finding passage to a remote settlement that had piqued his interest recently, as it had become a hub of illegal activity that included the sale of a very unique form of spice. He _had_ to find out who was running it.

None of the docking bays he was walking past had local transport, though. If they weren't empty, they were home to bulky cargo haulers and freighters, and neither would help him get out of the city unnoticed. Coming up on the end of the row, he gave a heavy sigh as he again found no ship, though the bay itself wasn't exactly vacant. Near the entrance on the other end, he spotted what looked like a man laying on his side on the ground, his back to him, but it was the color of the man's uniform that caught Horatio's attention. It was dark purple with a gold stripe, a familiar combination he definitely wasn't expecting to see in this region of space.

Extremely wary, Horatio studied the area for a moment, cursing to himself as his curiosity got the better of him and forced him to investigate. His hand hovered over his blaster at his side as he stepped into the open, but no one challenged him, and he still had no idea what he was walking into. Close enough to tell, he noticed the man's familiar sandy blond hair, and by the time Horatio had knelt down beside him, he was nearly breathless with dread.

"...Koril?"

Turning the unconscious man onto his back, Horatio was only briefly relieved to meet an unfamiliar face.


	7. Chapter 7

Releasing a breath he had been holding, Horatio continued to scan the docking bay, almost certain he had found himself in a trap of some kind. The man began to moan as he regained consciousness, recovering from a blow to the side of his head that was continuing to bleed. He was still out of it, though, and hadn't seen him, and Horatio couldn't help the sudden urge he felt to escape. He could leave the man where he was and disappear, avoiding getting caught in the middle of whatever had happened. He had even started to stand up from the floor, but the man stopped him from moving much, gripping his arm.

"You," he groaned with alarm, his eyes only half open, "Sheridan..."

Horatio rolled his eyes. He _would _stumble upon the one person in the Mid Rim who recognized him, even though they were dozens of sectors from Paneau. His luck was just that good. Surprising him, though, the man continued angrily.

"Where is she? What did you do with her!"

Horatio narrowed his eyes. "I haven't done anything, buddy, I just found you here. What are you talking about?"

Still unbalanced from his injury, he began grabbing fistfuls of Horatio's jacket to struggle with him, getting worked up. "My girlfriend, Yhren, she...she was right here with me. Where did you take her!"

"Hey, take it easy!" Horatio demanded just as intensely, combating his grip. "I didn't do anything to anyone. You already know who I am, but why don't you explain to me what happened, who you are, and what your connection is to the Paneau."

Though he remained wary as Horatio expected, his breathing finally calmed enough so he could answer. "I'm a pilot for the Rys'tihn Family. Yhren and I were returning to the ship and...I don't know what happened. I saw that the ship was already gone, and then...I woke up to you." With a determined effort, he began to sit up. "I have to find her."

Horatio didn't stop him, only shaking his head a bit as he thought back. "I didn't hear anything around here that sounded like a woman. You had to have been out for several minutes at the very least, probably longer. Whoever took her, they're long gone now."

He watched the color drain from the pilot's face as he stood, but he somehow remained upright on his feet. His voice became distant and weak, though, as he looked about the empty bay. "They wouldn't have left without us..."

Standing, too, Horatio wasn't sure the pilot was altogether with it. "They who? The Rys'tihns?"

"And the Natiyrs. Yhren is Rech's sister, and we were all on our way to a week-long vacation."

The pilot suddenly looked guilty, as if he had just given away a well-guarded secret, but Horatio only arched his eyebrows, unsure if he had heard him correctly. "Both families. And you stopped here, on Ord Mantell, of all places?"

"High Commander Rys'tihn fell ill and needed to be treated, and - " He paused, snapping to attention with sudden urgency. "Why am I telling you this? I need to be looking for them, for her..."

He took a few steps toward the docking bay doors, but he stumbled on the third, and Horatio was only barely able to steady him. Though he wasn't sure why he was helping, the words had already left his mouth.

"Not dressed like that, you're not."

The pilot gave him a challenging look, prompting Horatio to explain. "Look, your uniform jacket is a dead giveaway that you don't belong here. Most likely it's what got you targeted in the first place; you look like a bodyguard, and some slavers probably thought she'd be worth kidnapping for ransom."

"_Slavers_?!"

"Shh!" Horatio quieted him quickly. "Keep it down! They've got lookouts all over this spaceport." After listening and looking a few seconds to make sure no one new was headed their way, he continued. "Do you people not do your research before you land somewhere? This place isn't exactly the tourist destination it used to be. Slavers, spicers, and pirates are all over this city now, and they practically run it."

"You would know, wouldn't you."

Horatio clenched his jaw. So, his reputation still preceded him. Just how many years had it been since he had last been on Paneau? Seven, maybe more?

"I know that they're going to smell you coming a kilometer away. You military types have no clue how to approach a group of criminals without a direct assault. If you want to bring your girlfriend home alive, you'll have to come at them from within their own ranks, with someone who can blend in, and that someone is definitely not you."

The pilot was silent for a long moment before he returned darkly. "Don't tell me you're offering."

"Do you know anyone else here who isn't part of some security force?"

Instead of answering, he posed a question of his own. "How do I know I can trust you?"

Sighing, Horatio crossed his arms over his chest. "You don't. But you have no other choice right now. I'll get your girlfriend back, but you have to do everything I tell you to do, starting with losing that jacket."

Though he remained reluctant, he slowly unbuttoned and shrugged off his jacket, handing it to Horatio with a wary, skeptical gaze. "Now what do we do?"

Horatio didn't waste any time turning the jacket inside out to hide its rich, unique colors, keeping his response curt. "_We_ aren't going to do anything. _I'm _going to find the slavers' base of operation while you stay out of the way."

The helpless, disappointed look on his face inexplicably compelled Horatio to answer more. "I've seen a few of them hanging out in a cantina a few blocks away."

"...you _know_ them?"

"Not _personally_," Horatio bit back, only just able to refrain from further spite. "I know what they look like. More specifically, I know how they look when they're scanning the crowd, when they're on the hunt for marks. I'll find them and follow them back to their base."

The pilot hesitated again, but eventually he nodded, accepting his plan. Horatio wasn't finished, though.

"Do you have a way to track where your ship has gone?"

He shook his head. "No, but there's someone at home on Paneau who can. I'll find a comm station and contact them."

"Use my ship."

Yet another skeptical stare from the pilot earned an explanation once more. "It's sitting in docking bay 45-C-2."

His eyes narrowed. "Does it have any encryption? Any security?"

Horatio matched his condescending tone. "No, but it's better than using any of the networks here that are most definitely being sliced, buddy. If you want to call even _more_ attention to yourself and make sure that every single vandal and mercenary on this planet knows who you are and just how vulnerable you and your friends are, then by all means, use whatever you can find."

Silenced by his challenge, the pilot seemed to back down, following Horatio's logic though he still struggled with it. He half expected an apology as worried and reticent as the man remained when he spoke up once more.

"It's Lieutenant Wip," he informed Horatio weakly, and Horatio nodded.

"Well, Lieutenant," he continued, watching him warily, "once we leave this bay, you'll call me anything you want _besides_ Sheridan, got it?"

Getting an agreement from him, Horatio began to leave, carelessly tossing his uniform jacket into a nearby dumpster.

"And my ship better still be there when I get back."

* * *

Quieting her movements as best she could, Cordira bit her lip as she peered over the edge of the spiral staircase leading down into the main hold. Kaydee and Tops slowly kept up behind her, although they thankfully maintained some distance because of their noticeably noisy servos. What Cordira wasn't expecting, though, was further commentary from the droids.

"Mistress Cordira," Kaydee spoke up in a hushed tone, "I fear it may be far too dangerous for you to approach these men, whoever they are. I would advise that you not leave this deck."

Making sure that their two abductors weren't within earshot before she responded, Cordira shook her head. "I have to, Kaydee. I have to make sure my parents and the Rys'tihns are okay."

Tops gave a quiet, timid whistle that Kaydee immediately disagreed with. "Because she is unaffected by their sedative, discovering her awake and mobile will most likely elicit a far more violent reaction than not. It would be best for us to not risk being seen."

Cordira furrowed her brows in determination. "I can hide if I need to. You two are staying up here until I get my father's lightsaber."

Without waiting for further protests, Cordira carefully slipped down the steps, keeping her footsteps light and silent. She hardly breathed as she moved, and peeking around the edge of the stairs before she reached the bottom, she looked up towards the bridge, finally getting a glimpse of the two men who had attacked them. Both had their backs to her, facing the viewport as they sat at the controls and navigated the ship, but she could still tell that neither were human. The broad, larger one she assumed to be Kreg had two horns down the sides of his face, and seated next to him was Xallar, a scrawny, twitchy man with what looked like two antennae atop his head. She watched them for what felt like an hour before she took another step, slowly making her way toward the rear of the hold with her heart beating in her throat.

Seeing her mom and dad laying motionless on the floor beside Koril and Elena was much harder for her to handle than she had anticipated. She could feel her entire body trembling as she knelt down next to them, extending a shaky hand to feel their pulses. She most worried for Koril after his episode the day before, but as far as she could tell, he seemed to be in the same state as the others, just asleep. How desperately she wanted to wake them up, any of them, just to ask them what she should do...

"...did you hear that?"

Before Cordira could even take in a startled breath, she saw Xallar whip around in his seat on the bridge and stare straight back at her.


	8. Chapter 8

As quickly as Xallar had turned to her, he bolted from his seat, drawing a blaster from a holster at his side. Within seconds, he had made his way down the stairs from the bridge to the main hold, but Cordira hadn't moved a single muscle, not even to breathe. He was staring straight at her, his beady eyes intensely boring into her, but she somehow managed to keep her focus as she drew on the Force to shroud herself, convincing Xallar she wasn't there...

Suddenly more confused than anything, Xallar looked about the hold as his antennae twitched independently of each other. They had to be picking up on the presence of another person that his eyes weren't seeing, but surprisingly, he was beginning to dismiss it.

"Hey Kreg," he called back toward the bridge as he continued studying the hold. "Weren't there supposed to be a whole bunch of kids with this group?"

Kreg couldn't have sounded less interested. "Yeah, so? They're probably all on the upper deck."

Focusing on Cordira's location again, Xallar holstered his blaster with frustration. "I could've sworn I just saw one of them. A red-head."

"You idiot," Kreg grumbled. "I thought I told you to lay off the deathsticks while we're out on jobs. There's no way one of those kids could withstand the dose we gave them. Those Jedi will wake up days before their younglings ever will."

Angered by Kreg's accusation, Xallar gave Rech a hard, swift kick in the stomach before he spun around and returned to the bridge, swearing the entire way. "Are you calling me a liar? You're one to talk..."

With her heart pounding in her ears, Cordira watched Xallar leave, and as soon as he was up in his seat once more, she quickly reached over and pulled her father's lightsaber off his belt, grasping it tightly in her hands. She hoped she wouldn't have to use its silver blade, but now that she had it, she felt more like the defender her family and friends needed her to be. If only she had been able to stop Xallar and take that kick for her father...

Before either Xallar or Kreg could look back at her again, she sprinted back up the spiral stairs in earnest. She made no noise as she fluidly moved with the Force, a technique her mother had taught her years ago. She had completely hidden herself before, too, but that had been a long time ago, and she wasn't even entirely sure she had done it on purpose. It seemed to be more of a reflex than anything, an automatic response to such serious danger, and she almost couldn't believe that it had worked, especially against such a perceptive Balosar.

Tops and Kaydee met her at the top of the stairs where she had left them, but before they could say anything, she quietly shooed them to the other end of the deck where they wouldn't be overheard.

"Mistress Cordira, are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Kaydee," Cordira answered breathlessly. "But...it was a close one. They know something's not right. They're going to be looking for us soon."

Tops beeped and whistled with cautious optimism, but it was quickly quieted by Kaydee. "We most certainly are _not_ going to 'fight our way out,' Tops. I am not programmed for combat, and technically, neither are you."

Tops gave a short spurt of a comeback that Cordira assumed to be a sassy expletive. Kaydee took offense. "I am quite certain that the Paneau Royal Navy programs you astromechs for defense and maintenance only. You are not warriors by any means."

Inspired by Tops' tenacity, Cordira gripped her father's lightsaber hilt with purpose, formulating a plan. "We don't have to be warriors, Kaydee... We just have to be smarter than they are." She turned to the astromech. "Tops, can you fly the ship?"

Chirping affirmatively, Tops rolled a bit closer to her, ready for action. Cordira patted him on the dome as she nodded, and just as she looked to Kaydee, she heard two sets of footsteps headed their way down below.

"Kaydee, can you act?"

"Act? Mistress Cordira, I am afraid that I do not follow."

Without waiting, Cordira herded the protocol droid into the rear supply closet, knowing how short they were on time. "Pretend, Kaydee. Pretend that you're malfunctioning, that your optical sensors don't work when they turn you back on."

"Turn me back on? What do y-"

Cordira reached up and flipped the switch on the back of Kaydee's neck, immediately powering the droid down where she stood. As Cordira closed the door behind her before she and Tops returned to the deck, she was very certain she heard a few chirps and beeps that sounded like digital snickering.

* * *

It hadn't taken long for Horatio to find the local slavers he'd spotted earlier, and he had even gotten into what appeared to be their favorite cantina without anyone paying him a second glance. He preferred it that way; he could make the right impression on the right people in his own fashion. He just hoped the credits he had would last him long enough to pull it off.

He scanned the crowd as nonchalantly as he could, making a mental note of the various species represented before taking a seat at an open table near the back. Typical human, Weequay, and Zabrak spacers were scattered about, but it was the presence of a few Trandoshans and Zygerrians that confirmed to him that he'd found the right place. A number of Twi'lek dancers were entertaining select patrons about the room, and after taking it all in patiently for a few minutes, he got a waitress's attention, putting in his order for a bottle of the most expensive drink they offered. He watched her leave and disappear into a back room, and reflexively, his muscles tensed, preparing to make an escape if he needed to. Past experience reminded him just how quickly things could go south for him, and he needed to be ready.

The waitress eventually returned to him with his order, and again, no one seemed to have taken any interest in him, momentarily putting him at ease. Releasing his hand from the handle of his blaster, he took a careful swig of the brandy the waitress had poured for him, letting it sit atop his tongue before it slid down his throat and warmed his entire body from his core to his toes. It had been years since he had last tasted Corellian Reserve, and how ironic it was that the only occasion he had for such an exotic specialty was during an operation to find this Natiyr woman, someone he'd never met.

He still didn't understand the reason he felt motivated to help. The last thing he wanted to do was cross paths with his former partner, Mand Natiyr, again, and yet he had agreed to risk his life for her sister-in-law, possibly jeopardizing the entire reason he'd come to Ord Mantell in the first place. If anything, he should be on the hunt for the missing Rys'tihn ship and the children; that was the other promise he was supposed to fulfill...

Briefly lost in his memories, he snapped back to attention as a deep, aching pain in his chest stole his breath. He still fought a wet, aggravated cough every now and then, a remnant of his grievous injury sustained three years ago in a similar type of cantina. Thanks to the timely rescue and skillful care of an acquaintance, he had only a minimal scar to show for it, but the pain returned whenever he thought of her and the weeks they spent together, as though the two were permanently inclusive of each other. He couldn't afford to be distracted at the moment, though, so he took another drink to dull the pain and to get the waitress's attention again.

After ordering another bottle of Corellian Reserve and an equally expensive dinner, he had finally made the impression he'd intended: an amber-skinned Twi'lek and a blue-haired Zeltron made their way to his table and began a private dance just for him. He sat back and continued to sip his drink, withholding a larger grin as he enjoyed the show he was being treated to. As stealthily as he could, he stole a glance at the table the two dancers had come from, noticing the Zygerrians sudden fixation on him. They had to be the ones in charge, and they seemed wary. The Zeltron earned his attention once more as she leaned closely into him, lightly tracing the contours of his face with her fingertip as her hips continued to sway to the beat of the live music.

"So...do you like what you see?"

He could practically taste the pheromones effervescing off her bright pink skin. "Your bosses have...exquisite taste."

Her smile spread nearly ear to ear, hovering just centimeters from his face. "Rakos will be pleased to hear that. I could introduce you, Mister...?"

"Vasch," Horatio breathed, "Kasimir Vasch. And let Rakos know that I'd be interested in his...private collection. I have a rather lengthy trip to the Core ahead of me."

With another delicate brush of her fingers across his jaw, she rose from him and returned to the Zygerrians, leaving the Twi'lek to continue dancing for him alone. He feigned interest in her moves as best he could, watching the movement across the room instead whenever he could look that way. A handful of low-level henchmen left after a short conversation with the Zeltron, presumably to research his name. He easily made Rakos as he dismissed the Zeltron from his table, and Rakos studied him in return. Horatio decided to take a risk, raising his glass to Rakos with a distinct nod, hoping the slaver would appreciate his confidence. Before he could respond, though, his men returned, giving him their report with haste. Horatio felt his muscles tensing again, preparing for a rapid escape if needed...

Rakos and the other Zygerrians stood from their table and approached him, and though their pace was slow enough to not startle any of the other patrons, it wasn't fast enough to make Horatio think Rakos was altogether too eager for his business. It wasn't until the armed escort hung back a few steps that Horatio slowly let go of the breath he had been holding, watching Rakos step up to him without fear.

"Mr. Vasch," Rakos began with a low, rumbling voice, waving the Twi'lek dancer away, "pleased to meet you. I am - "

"Rakos," Horatio interjected with a grin, settling himself comfortably against his seat. "Your ladies informed me. Both of which are..._fine_ specimens, let me tell you. And I also have to say, I definitely was not expecting such a sight when I landed here."

Rakos' mouth formed a tight line as he clasped his hands behind him. "Thank you. Yes, Aaltie and Naegaala are two of my best. I send them to show my appreciation to my better customers."

"Well, I just got here, and already I feel like I belong." He raised his glass again. "This is my kind of place after all."

"Tell me, Mr. Vasch, how goes spice mining on Malastare?"

So, Rakos didn't waste any time. The Zygerrian's gaze drilled into him, testing him, but Horatio didn't flinch, casually playing it off. "I really wouldn't know. I left that mine about, oh...seven years ago, and haven't looked back since. Been freelancing mostly. I do have some spice in my ship, if that's what you're after. Quality, high-grade, very potent."

Rakos' eyes narrowed as a long, silent moment hung between them, but eventually he grinned, shaking his head. "I'll pass."

"Come on," Horatio bargained, standing from his seat. "I feel like I owe you for those two exceptional dancers, and I don't like having debts. Let me get some for you, and you can resell it yourself, I won't even be bothered."

"Why don't we make a...different transaction," Rakos countered, "and we'll call it even?"

Having gotten exactly what he wanted, Horatio grinned, downing the rest of his brandy. "If you have more to show me, I have more credits to spend."


	9. Chapter 9

With Kaydee powered down in the supply closet, Cordira quickly swept across the upper deck, reaching the staircase just before Kreg and Xallar had begun to climb it. She hid with Tops behind a cargo crate off to the side, somehow using the Force to wrap the shadows around them and keep them concealed. The two pirates sprinted up to the top, their blasters drawn and ready to fire as they stopped momentarily and scanned the deck. Cordira focused all her thoughts on forcing their attention forward, and surprising herself, it seemed to be working; after a few tense moments, both Kreg and Xallar began stepping further onto the deck, extremely cautious and alert.

"I'm _not_ crazy," Xallar asserted preemptively with a defensive tone.

"That is up for debate," Kreg returned with a grumble, unimpressed at finding the level vacant. "Like I said before, that sedative could knock down a full sized zillo beast. Anyone who ate any of that food and then stepped foot on this ship will be out for a minimum of three days, the kids for even longer."

"Fine, but...where are they? If we don't find the kids before we get back to base, Boss is not going to be happy..."

As the two continued on toward the rear of the deck, Cordira held her breath as she left the cover of the cargo crate and made a delicate but concerted effort to lower Tops down the staircase. The astromech was a solid, heavy hunk of metal plating, servos, and tools, she knew, but she still struggled to even levitate him a millimeter off the floor. At the age of one and a half, telekinesis had emerged as the first and so far her strongest Force skill, but her resolve hadn't yet been tested under such desperate and dangerous circumstances. She closed her eyes to concentrate harder, trusting the droid to alert her if she was spotted while she worked. Hopefully the Iktotchi and Balosar behind her wouldn't hear her breathing that had quickened from the sudden exertion...

One minor lapse in focus allowed the droid to slip a few centimeters in her grip suddenly, but she managed to quickly regain her composure, calling on the force to strengthen her hold. With what control she had left, she allowed Tops to drift down the staircase to the deck as slowly as she could. It took the remaining strength she could muster to give the droid a light landing below, but she still heard the heavy _thud_ echo up the stairwell toward her. She froze in place instantly, waiting for Kreg and Xallar to turn around to her...but they had just discovered the supply closet.

"_See_!"

"'See' what? It's a protocol droid, and it's powered down. You said you saw a red-haired girl."

"Whatever. Turn it back on."

"Right, because it came all the way back up here and turned itself off..."

Taking the opportunity while they were distracted with Kaydee, Cordira sprinted down the stairs at met Tops at the bottom as he whined worriedly for his friend.

"I know," Cordira soothed him briefly before ushering him toward the bridge. "Come on, hurry."

Tops followed obediently and plugged himself into the nearest controls he could find, whistling back a request for an order from her as she sat at the comm station on the bridge. Though she wasn't completely sure she had opened the right channel, she could finally hear the chatter from up above again. They were interrogating Kaydee, as she had hoped, and what she heard from the droid was little more than garble and broken Basic; it was providing exactly the distraction she wanted.

"Tops, stop the ship, but very, very slowly. I don't want them to notice until it's too late."

Already turning his scomp link before she had finished her command, Tops worked quickly, taking over for the autonav as the engines made no appreciable difference in sound output. She breathed a sigh of relief and thanked the Force as the dialogue in the supply closet remained the same for a few minutes, too, until -

"Kreg...the ship."

Cordira felt her heart stop with dread as she heard their footsteps returning to the main hold. The Balosar _had_ felt the deceleration, though she had hoped Tops had been careful enough about it to avoid his detection. Now they knew they had a saboteur aboard, and she couldn't hide any longer. She had to meet them head on and somehow defend the ship that had been her home away from home for years.

"Tops, wherever we are, stop, but don't land. Keep the engines going, and be ready to go in a hurry."

Kreg and Xallar were faster than she expected, reaching the base of the staircase before she had even gotten off the bridge. She held her father's lightsaber in her hand behind her but she hadn't yet ignited it, instead gauging the reactions of the other two first. She had to maintain at least one element of surprise...

"How...how did you wake up?" Xallar asked with alarm, blaster raised and stepping toward her slowly. Kreg was already on the offensive, though, moving backward to the four adults still crumpled in a pile on the floor just beside the rear loading ramp. Determined to not show them any fear, Cordira matched Xallar's pace, hoping to keep his attention on her, and not on Tops behind her who still had navigational control of the ship.

"I never fell asleep."

Still Kreg moved closer to the adults, already wary of Cordira, though Xallar didn't seem to think much of her. She kept her muscles tense and ready to move quickly enough to protect her parents if Kreg decided to hurt them...

"You were with that group, I know you were. You ate the same food they did, but...how?"

"Does it really matter? Whoever you work for has made a huge mistake. This ship belongs to a very powerful family, and they're not just financially or politically powerful..."

"They're Jedi," Kreg answered darkly. "We know. But they can't protect you now. I'll even make sure you can't wake them up, too..."

Shards of ice tore through her veins as Kreg lowered the ramp behind him and placed his foot atop Rech's chest, prepared to shove him out the back of the ship. She couldn't breathe for several long, tense moments before she finally spoke.

"What do you want?"

"Hand over that lightsaber I know you took."

Xallar looked just as surprised as Cordira felt, but at least she had been able to distract and deceive the Balosar that much. She couldn't move, though. How was she to give up her father's weapon when it was the last thing she had that could protect them? Had all her attempts to avoid detection and defeat her captors been foiled in this one instant, and now all their fates were sealed?

Tired of waiting for her response, Kreg turned and kicked Rech, rolling him over onto his stomach and landing him perilously closed to the edge of the ramp. Reflexively, Cordira gasped and reached out for him with both hands, revealing the lightsaber she had been hiding. Closest to her, Xallar quickly swiped it from her as he struck her across the face with his blaster, knocking her to the floor. She recovered in time to watch in horror as Kreg pulled Elena's lightsaber off her belt...and sent Elena and Rech both tumbling off the rear ramp of the ship.

* * *

A splitting headache was nothing new to Yhren Natiyr, but she was getting tired of fighting. She wasn't losing hope, but she definitely needed a new strategy.

The horrible, filthy cell she was being held in was even a more tolerable condition compared to the obnoxious clothing, or lack thereof, that she was being forced to wear as a slave dancer. The more vocal she was to her slaver handlers about it, though, the more of it they removed from her, just to humiliate her. Though she wanted to continue to protest to prove that they hadn't broken her, she had to stop before the active stun collar around her neck was the only thing she was left wearing...

Leave it to her to ruin her brother's family's vacation, she thought to herself. She had always given him a hard time for trouble following him and his wife Mand everywhere, and it was she who had gotten caught in a slaver's net before they had even gotten to their main destination. She worried for Saross, as well, but she was certain they had left him behind. He was injured, but alive, and she knew he would be looking for her, so she just had to figure out how to get the attention of the outside world from inside a slaver's cell.

A number of slaves had come and gone in just a few short hours in the dark, dusty holding area, but no one spoke more than a few words that weren't answers to questions from the Zabrak and Zygerrian slavers. Yhren had been the most outspoken of them all for sure, but she had also been the only human she had seen so far. The others looked...accustomed to such treatment, as if it had been all they'd known their entire lives. She, however, had been targeted for some reason, and it perplexed her.

While planning her next course of action, a turquoise-skinned twi'lek approached her timidly from the other hold, keeping her thickly accented voice very light and hushed.

"You... Are you Yhren Natiyr?"

Surprised that she was being personally addressed by a stranger in such a place, she brought her guard up, suddenly more keenly aware of her surroundings. "Who are you?"

The twi'lek looked on her with concern and pity, studying the stun collar and the skin that was likely singed around her neck. "I can see zhat you do not belong 'ere. You are a fighter. But, you must not fight so much. I come 'ere to say, you will 'ave 'elp soon. My friend is going to buy you, and me, and we will be free, but only if you act like you fight a little, zhen cooperate just for 'im. Do you zhink zhat you can do zhis?"

Though Yhren had few options, she was still wary. "Who is this 'friend' of yours? Why does he have to buy us?"

Before the twi'lek could answer, a door around the corner swept open, usually signalling the arrival of slavers. The twi'lek disappeared just as quickly as she had come, only leaving Yhren with an even greater feeling of unease than she'd had previously.


	10. Chapter 10

Cordira's heart was both sputtering out of control and breaking at the same time. She had just watched her father and Derek's mother be shoved out of the ship into a freefall to...she had no idea where, and she had been powerless to stop it. Time had slowed to a standstill as she stared out the open ramp, believing she had just failed her family in the worst way possible. There was nothing she could do for them now.

Without warning, though, something primal, something instinctual deep within her suddenly snapped, and a strange set of reflexes seemed to surface and take over her thoughts before she was truly aware what was happening. Though she hadn't told her body to move, she breathed and her legs swung out to the side, connecting with Xallar's unprepared feet still beside her. He fell to the floor instantly with a startled noise, and Cordira was on her toes in a flash, catching her father's lightsaber midair as Xallar released it in his surprise. Kreg was already on the offensive, though, lobbing a flurry of blaster bolts her way by the time she was standing. She was no longer afraid of him, emboldened by whatever power was fueling her, and despite feeling the fiery blow of a penetrating bolt in her stomach, she was not defeated. She continued forward, igniting the lightsaber in her hands to deflect more bolts. She was going to drive Kreg out of their ship, and she could see in his eyes that he had just realized her plan, too.

Behind her, Tops whistled shrilly as he watched her take blaster wounds at Kreg's hands, and he apparently decided to intervene to protect her. Cordira felt the roar of the _Celestia_'s engines underneath her as Tops jammed his scomp link into the controls and suddenly threw the ship into forward thrust, but Kreg was quick to recover and regain his balance. He somehow managed to land several precise bolts in Tops' torso, disabling him completely within a few seconds before Cordira could react. He whined and beeped only twice before his circuits would no longer work, leaving the _Celestia_ in a constant trajectory and no pilot. Before Kreg could fire another shot at her, though, her hand raised up and leveled a powerful Force Push that hit him squarely in his chest, sending him flying backwards out of the ship. He disappeared into the open air just like her father had, but briefly with her own thoughts again, she stood there horrified - she hadn't intended to send him to the same fate...

Just seconds later, the ship skimmed a rocky outcropping just underneath her belly, and a resounding _crash_ echoed through the cabin a mere moment before the trailing lowered ramp broke in half, rocking the _Celestia_ briefly and tossing her remaining occupants about. Scraping and grating noises continued as the ship flew along uncontrolled, and another turbulent knock caused the other two adults, Mand and Koril, to tumble out of the open ramp. Cordira saw their unconscious forms come to a stop on the rough, rocky terrain they were rapidly leaving behind, giving her hope they had at least survived their fall, but another jolt sent her to her knees as her vision went black. Pain had mercilessly taken over without warning, as though she were just feeling her injuries for the first time, but - she had to stop the ship - they were going to crash into something -

"Cordira!" a familiar voice called to her repeatedly as she felt someone cradling her in a warm embrace. She was so suddenly and utterly _exhausted_, her eyes didn't even want to open, but he continued to beg.

"Cordira, sweetheart, can you talk to me? Lt. Dacaro, bacta, now. Cordira, stay with me, okay?"

His voice was calm but still somewhat stern, and it was comforting to hear in her delirious haze. "Major Jax..."

"I'm right here. What's happened? Where's your family?"

She felt her head roll to the side onto her shoulder, and forcing her eyes open as much as they would allow, she could only see the swirling chaos of more than a dozen Paneau Elite Guard filing into the ship's main hold, obscuring her view outside. As much as she worried for her parents, she didn't know where they were...

Her voice hardly worked. "I hid my sisters...and Rys'tihns upstairs...secret compartment..."

"Secret compartment?"

"They fell asleep," she nodded weakly, reaching up to her neck where Derek's pendant still hung. "Use the Crest...to find them..."

Jax took the necklace from her gently, brushing her hair from her face to comfort her. Her eyes closed heavily again, but Jax was quick to rouse her once more. "Cordira? Come on, keep talking to me."

But she had no energy left to even move, and all she saw in her mind as it shut down and sealed her in blackness was her father's body disappearing into the open sky just minutes earlier.

"They fell," she breathed, barely audible, and she couldn't fight it any longer. "They fell..."

* * *

_Rech_...

The darkness had enfolded him in a calming embrace like an old friend, like someone he hadn't seen in years but welcomed him just the same. Nothing tangible registered but the comfort of a familiar presence, and he easily allowed himself to remain lost in it. He was weightless, at peace while floating in the void...

_Rech... Wake up._

The voice was relaxing to him, as he vaguely recognized it, but the command contradicted its effect. Something was beginning to stir deep in his consciousness, demanding more and more of his attention though his incarcerated mind struggled to respond. He dug through the cloud and haze, willing clarity into his thoughts with the Force...

_Your daughter needs you. You must wake up, and you must hurry. _

The voice was only fainter still... Master Noor?

___This will be the last time you'll hear from me. _Go...save your friends.

With a sudden burst of light, Rech's eyes shot open just as he felt himself break through the lake's surface into air, drawing in full, desperate breaths in between coughs that expelled water from his lungs. Once his eyes adjusted to the harsh midday light and he regained his bearings, he realized he was in the middle of a large, nearly circular crater lake. The rocky walls towered hundreds of meters straight above the water level, and with no appreciable difference in landmarks or direction, he had no idea where he was...or how he got there.

Sensing a familiar presence nearby startled him out of his stupor, and he had just turned to see a woman's form float to the surface, though she remained still. He couldn't swim to her fast enough, drawing on the Force to put even more power into his strokes as his muscles remained sluggish. Wasting little time, he turned her over onto her back and kept her head above water as he worked, unsure if she had been unconscious when she hit the water as he had. Some artificial sedative definitely had a strong hold on her mind, but he had just been freed of it by Master Noor's Force Ghost, so it was possible to counteract. It was taking him longer than he wanted, though, and she had yet to take a breath...

_Finally_, Elena gave choking, spurting coughs as she came to, her arms flailing briefly in her disorientation. Rech gripped her shoulders to steady her, helping to calm her racing heartbeat, as well.

"Elena, Elena! Easy, I've got you."

Pacified save for a few sporadic coughs, Elena surveyed their surroundings with increasing concern, leading Rech to answer her questions she hadn't yet asked.

"I don't know where we are, but I can tell Mand and Koril are close." He pointed up to one of the cliff faces that looked particularly jagged and steep. "That direction. Do you think you can climb it?"

She nodded quickly, but she remained worried about something else entirely. "Rech, the children?"

He heard Master Noor's warning echoing in his head, but as far as he could tell, they were at least all still alive. "They're that direction, too. Come on."

Crossing the lake seemed to take nearly a quarter hour, and climbing the crater wall took even longer. Intense and quiet, Elena willed herself through her fatigue, driven to find her husband and her children after they had all fallen victim to someone's trap. Rech even struggled to keep up with her, having to double his climbing speed and concentration. She reached the top with determination and pulled herself up over the edge, extending her hand down to him to bring him up with her. He had hardly even put his feet on the ground before she took off at a sprint.

"I see them!"

Mostly dry from their lengthy ascent out of the crater lake, Rech patted down his tunic as he stood, reaching for his lightsaber hilt...that was no longer hanging on his belt. Again having to catch up with Elena up ahead of him, he saw that she thankfully still had her lightsaber clipped to hers if they needed it. The flat, rocky terrain they were traversing went on for kilometers in every direction that he looked, and the nearest settlements were only partially visible along the distant horizon. Wherever they were...they were isolated and completely alone.

Elena reached her husband first, kneeling down at his side as she cradled his head and rolled him from his side onto his back. Rech began his work quickly, bringing Koril out from under the same sedative that had taken them all down, but something in him felt markedly different. Eventually Koril stirred and woke, but Rech had been around his life force long enough to know that there was a definite change in his spirit, as if half of it was just...gone. Elena must have seen the expression on his face.

"Does he have internal injuries?"

Rech shook his head. "No, just some cuts and bruises. He's okay."

Relieved, Elena leaned over Koril and kissed him on his forehead, brushing her hand through his hair. She didn't seem to notice that he wasn't exactly responsive to her yet, but his health wasn't in immediate danger, so Rech stood from him and stepped over to his wife to bring her around and treat her wounds. She awoke much faster than the other two, but her second breath was a cry of pain as she grabbed her left arm with her right hand. He gently covered her hand with both of his, weaving the healing Force into her broken shoulder to quickly ease her pain. They didn't even have to speak as they gazed into each other's eyes in the silence, sharing their emotions through their connection rather than words. He would have gladly healed her arm completely, but she eased his hands away after a few minutes. She sat up and stood with his assistance, and looking off into the distance, toward a hardly discernible object on the horizon, Mand furrowed her brows as she held her left arm.

"I can sense the children over there... Isn't that the _Celestia_?"


	11. Chapter 11

Being led even further into Rakos' operations was far from what Horatio had expected of this particular excursion, but his plan was working so far. Since his cover as Kasimir Vasch, a spice miner turned dealer, had gotten him the kind of recognition he had been intentionally avoiding for years, his natural instinct had been to find all routes of escape and plan a diversion to mask his departure. He kept his nervousness well under wraps, though, despite the six armed Zabraks and Zygerrians staying several steps behind and ahead of him and the slaver kingpin as they walked.

Rakos brought him down a narrow staircase into a large open chamber with a number of individual and group cells, some nearly full with humanoids, some completely empty. They passed a dozen or more cells that contained beings that had been slaves their entire lives, as evidenced by their worn, ratty clothing, frail bodies, and even weaker spirits, but the slaves' physical states improved as they walked on. Eventually they reached the most attractive slaves and dancers, presumably Rakos' prized possessions, and it didn't take Horatio long to spot his Twi'lek friend among them. He couldn't let his reaction filter through, though, and give Rakos insight into his thoughts.

"You'll understand that Aaltie and Naegaala are not available for negotiation," Rakos began as he invited the Zeltron and amber-skinned Twi'lek, the two who had danced for Horatio in the cantina earlier, up to his side to hang on his shoulders. He almost wore the two women like decorative trophies, and Horatio had to pretend to be impressed. "The rest of my...collection, however, is. Select however many you'd like, Mr. Vasch, and make me an offer."

Horatio gave Rakos a sly grin and turned to the group of women, surveying them with a careful gaze. A colorful young Theelin gave him a coy smile as the Togruta next to her looked him up and down in turn, running her hand down the length of one of her head-tails seductively. Horatio paced in front of the eager slaves with his arms crossed over his chest, but he only gave pause when he had a clear line of sight to her as she stood near the back of the group.

Looking back to Rakos with excited disbelief, Horatio kept his voice hushed. "A _Rutian_? Rakos...you didn't tell me you had one of the _rarest_ beauties..."

Grinning wryly himself, Rakos gave one of his lieutenants a brief nod, and the Zabrak stepped inside, parting the group to bring Wyliaa out of the cell to Horatio's side.

"She is an excellent dancer," Rakos explained with a bland, almost uninterested tone that quickly elevated Horatio's blood pressure. He was quite familiar with her already, and for Rakos to describe her to him so plainly, he almost didn't stop himself from correcting him. "She would keep you well entertained for your journey."

It took all his willpower to control the expression on his face, and though Wyliaa had years of experience in her line of work, acting her part and hiding her true feelings to make her living, Horatio could still see the fear in her eyes in that moment. Something was wrong. He hadn't seen Yhren among the slaves Rakos had presented to him, and Wyliaa seemed to know why.

"She looks a little...thin, though," Horatio stalled, looking her over briefly with feigned concern. He couldn't seem too eager to buy her her outright, anyway, or the Zygerrian might suspect their collaboration. He had to be cautious.

"Her stamina is what matters, isn't it? Besides, your journey should keep you somewhat occupied, especially if you're going to the Core. You'll have to keep an eye out for the New Republic with your illicit cargo. I'd hate to see that high quality product of yours go to waste."

At least Rakos was making an effort to keep the sale. "I guess you're right," Horatio grinned, continuing to scan the length of Wyliaa's torso. "I really can't afford to pass on this one, can I? I've only seen a Rutian so...exotic in the company of some Hutts." Taking in and releasing a slow breath, Horatio nodded emphatically as he looked around again. "Alright, sold, but I'm going to have to take another one, too. Do you think you can indulge me with a...blonde?"

Horatio's pulse quickened as Rakos narrowed his eyes suddenly, adopting a darker tone to his voice that led Horatio to believe the slaver had finally seen through him. "Why not just have your wife dye her hair for you?"

Diffusing the tension, Horatio let out a weak, bitter laugh as he shook his head. "My wife?" So Rakos had done even more extensive research on him than he had originally thought... As part of their cover when they infiltrated a spice mine several years ago, Horatio and his former partner Mand Natiyr had taken on the aliases Kasimir and Killian Vasch. They lived as a pair of married miners for more than seven months, but he hadn't expected their history to have followed him so far. "Kil and I have...parted ways. She left me for some _Jedi_ years ago, and I haven't seen her since." It was easier to react as though Rakos had hit a nerve in him when there was at least partial truth to the story he was spinning. "Are we going to do business, Rakos, or are you going to continue testing me?"

Despite Horatio's explanation, the Zygerrian remained skeptical for a lengthy silence, keeping him on edge until Rakos finally continued. "The only blonde I have isn't prepared. She isn't being very submissive yet, so I won't sell her to anyone until she is ready."

Horatio felt his stomach turn to ice. If Rakos wasn't going to sell his newest capture to him, how was he going to free the Natiyr woman?

"Sometimes a fighter makes things a little more...interesting, you know?" he bargained deftly with another grin as he turned around and eyed the other dancers. He had to push without sounding desperate, and it was becoming increasingly difficult to do so. "Even if she is strong, I think I could handle one human woman."

The words had already left Horatio's mouth before he realized his disastrous mistake.

"...I never said she was human."

He could well imagine the intense expression that had to be on Rakos' face without looking at him, but he didn't have time to offer any kind of defense before a comm signal interrupted the silence. Rakos answered his wrist link with a low growl, but the frantic voice on the other end stole his attention quickly.

"Three Republic cruisers are heading our way!"

"What! Have they scanned our compound?"

"Twice."

Horatio slowly turned to face Rakos as the Zygerrian expectedly leveled a dark look at him. "New Republic, huh? I should've known better than to trust seven-year-old intel on a spice miner who hadn't been heard from in that long."

For once, Horatio was just as alarmed as Rakos; he wasn't exactly in good standing with them, either. He had to fight. "You think _I_ called them here? Look, pal, I only stopped at your cantina to relax and enjoy myself before I left for a long trip, and I've gotten almost nothing but trouble for it since. My credits should've done all the talking for me, but you've dragged this out, testing my story left and right, and now you're accusing me of causing your problems? You really don't want my business, do you?"

Rakos' eyes remained narrowed as another call came over his comm.

"Rakos, they're almost here!"

The slaver looked to two of his Zabrak guards and gave them strict orders before he left. "Keep him here until I get back, and if he tries to do _anything_...kill him."

Frustrated, Horatio called out after him as the Zygerrian disappeared up the staircase. "You're going to regret losing my business, Rakos!" Of course he had contiued on, but that had been the point. The two Zabraks had turned their blasters onto him as instructed, and with their full focus on him, his accomplice could step in behind them...

Horatio kept his arms crossed over his chest as he paced with annoyance in front of the guards, repositioning himself apart from the group of slaves behind him. He wasn't armed, but the Zabraks were trigger-happy most likely, judging by Rakos' command he had left with them. Just a few more steps...

"Liaa, now."

Springing into action in a blue-green blur, Wyliaa wrapped her arm around one guard's shoulder and pulled, tugging his blaster from his unsuspecting grip with her other hand. In the same twisting motion, she landed a powerful kick in his stomach, sending him to the ground unable to breathe. Horatio's guard, however, put up more of a fight. Several punches were exchanged until Wyliaa finally turned and landed a blaster bolt in the Zabrak's back, and as Horatio slumped the weight off of him, he paused briefly to be sure he wasn't wounded. Except for a trickle of blood he wiped off his chin from his split lip, he seemed to be okay, so he released a heavy breath as he turned to Wyliaa.

"At least you didn't have to go _through_ me this time." Getting an apologetic shrug from her, he knelt down and picked up the other blaster, knowing they'd have more of Rakos' guards on them soon. "Where are they keeping her?"

"One of zhe small cells, zhis way."

Taking the blaster in both hands, he returned to the Zabrak on the ground and delivered a heavy blow to his head, knocking him out so they wouldn't be followed. Wyliaa led him down a series of hallways with cell after cell full of slaves, but even after seeing dozens of beings in terrible conditions, Horatio still wasn't prepared for what they found.

"Oh no," Liaa breathed as she deactivated the cell's containment field and stepped inside. "Zhey 'ave tortured 'er more... I _told_ 'er not to fight so much."

Yhren was crumpled on the floor, barely breathing from what Horatio could tell. The stun collar around her neck had etched dark burn marks into her skin, leaving an unpleasant smell in the air the closer he got to her. He could already hear the angry accusations he was going to face for bringing her back to the Natiyrs in such a state.

"'Oratio, we 'ave to 'urry, zhe Republic..."

Handing Liaa his blaster to arm her with two, he carefully pulled Yhren into his hold and stood with her, trusting Liaa to lead them out. The young woman shivered in his arms, almost bare after her clothing had been stripped by her captors, but he couldn't afford to stop until they were safely out of Rakos' compound, and even then...well, they had to get out first.

"You are lucky zhat I 'ave been 'ere before as a dancer..."

Amazingly, Liaa found every empty hallway leading out of the complex, and without anyone so much as spotting them, they made it back up to the streets of Worlport, just as a very familiar ship passed overhead and landed nearby. The alley remained vacant as he and Liaa made their way toward it, and within a few minutes, Lt. Wip sprinted around the corner and met them with urgency, holstering his blaster to tend to Yhren.

"I thought I told you to stay out of the way," Horatio challenged darkly as they walked. "That doesn't mean bring _my ship_ into a war zone."

"There won't be a war," the lieutenant returned blandly, needlessly directing him into the ship's main hold. Horatio lowered Yhren onto a bench near the cockpit, stepping back from her as Wip draped a blanket over her.

"The New Republic will be here any second - "

"There's no Republic coming, okay?"

The look on Horatio's face had to be an interesting mix of surprise and doubt. Thankfully Wip explained himself before Horatio had to ask more questions. "I followed you to this complex, and whatever you were doing was taking too long, so...I thought you could use a diversion. I found a way to boost this ship's broadcast signal with a second power generator, and I scrambled it enough to look like three large cruisers, at least for a few minutes. I thought I would stay close since I didn't know if it was going to be good enough from a _military type _like me..."

After having narrowly escaped from such a dangerous situation that was somewhat compounded by Wip's otherwise fairly inventive distraction, Horatio was in no mood to counter the lieutenant's sour attitude. He matched Wip's dark gaze briefly before returning his attention to Yhren. "Is she going to be okay?"

Wip's voice was suddenly shaky as he lightly brushed her hair out of her face. "I don't know. Her brother will have to heal her, and he's already got his hands full."

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly noticing the Rutian Twi'lek behind Horatio, Wip paused briefly, as if to mentally revise his answer with a stranger present. "His daughter Cordira is in a coma of sorts, and the High Commander has suffered a loss in his family. I contacted Major Jax who's with the Natiyrs and Rys'tihns; he and the Elite Guard are here to take us back to Paneau once we make it to their position out on the flatlands. It's going to be a long trip home."

A twinge of fear weighed heavily on his chest for a few moments as he remembered the promise he had made several years ago... "What happened to Cordira?"

The look of confusion and insult on Wip's face was infuriating enough, but his condescending tone was even worse. "Why do _you_ care?"

It was a simple question, but it was the last thing Horatio was going to tolerate. Somehow resisting the urge to respond with anger for the lieutenant's gross ingratitude, he chose to remain silent, leaving with Wyliaa close behind him. The Paneau could have his ship for all he cared; he and the Twi'lek would have to leave Ord Mantell aboard a completely different transport, anyway. With Rakos and the rest of his slavers still occupied with the nonexistent Republic cruisers threatening their compound, Horatio and Wyliaa could slip away unnoticed and disappear into Worlport's populace for a few days.


	12. Chapter 12

The slightest, faintest noise violently startled Yhren from her rest, sending her into a panicked frenzy as she grasped at her neck for a phantom stun collar that was no longer there. She still felt the burns on her skin that stung with every pulse of her rapid heart rate, and temporarily blind in her disorientation, the only other sensation she registered was a firm yet gentle embrace around her and a familiar voice that brought her to tears.

"Yhren, I'm here. You're safe. Those slavers can't hurt you anymore."

Hearing Saross' comforting words in the warmth of his hold calmed her sobs after a few moments, and she immediately recognized a third hand on her shoulder as her brother's that soothed her even further with the Force. Gathering herself back together and slowing her breathing, she sat back from Saross a little as he lightly caressed her cheek and searched her recovering eyes with concern.

"We'll be landing in Dalon in about thirty minutes," he told her quietly. "How are you feeling?"

Although extremely grateful to have been rescued from the awful albeit brief torture she had endured, she was still surprised to learn that they were already so close to home. Had she been unconscious the entire time, or had her Jedi Healer brother intentionally kept her sleeping? She could hardly force her voice to work through her parched, aching throat to give an answer. "Sore..."

"I'm sorry I haven't been able to give you much attention yet," Rech apologized, continuing to heal her and ease her pain. "I've been...spread a little thin."

Finally able to, she looked around to find herself fully clothed, sitting on a small bed in a modest, enclosed room. Saross sat just in front of her, still holding an arm around her shoulders, and Rech stood to her side. She saw her sister-in-law Mand seated beside another small bed across the way with their twin daughters Aruun and Arlen peacefully asleep on her lap, but Mand's attention was on the bed where Cordira lay motionless. Rech was quick to follow Yhren's line of sight, though, and began explaining before she could become upset.

"We ran into some trouble of our own. A group of pirates managed to slip a powerful sedative into our food at dinner, but for some reason, Cordira was the only one who was immune to it. She fought them off while they were trying to take the _Celestia_, and Major Jax said she just collapsed after she defeated them. She had one minor blaster wound that I healed, but...she's been asleep since then, almost like she's in a hibernation trance, and I can't wake her from it."

From what Yhren could tell, the girl appeared to be merely sleeping, too, but what did he mean? "Hibernation trance?"

Rech nodded. "Mand's done it several times. She basically puts herself into a Force-induced coma, although sometimes I think it's more of a reflex for self-preservation than anything. I didn't know Cordira was capable of something so advanced, but...she is her mother."

Cordira's fire red hair, much different from Mand's dark brown, made it that much easier for Yhren to forget that the girl was nearly a genetic copy of her mother. Of course their physical similarities would come through later in her life as she grew up, but Yhren had never thought to consider what else they would share, such as Force skills and aptitudes. And what Yhren knew of Mand's dark past, her oldest niece was never going to have anything easy...

"She did seem very weak when I got to her," Rech continued, glancing over at Cordira briefly, "like she had exerted herself considerably. Those pirates must have really tested her. She should be okay once she gets enough rest, however long that takes."

"Is everyone else okay?"

Her breath caught in her chest as Rech and Saross exchanged uneasy looks, and she could only intensely grip Saross' hand until one of them explained.

"It's Koril... Physically he's fine, but he hasn't spoken a word to anyone since I brought him around from the sedative. We think that...someone in his family has died."

She still couldn't breathe. "One of the _children_?"

"No, no, the children are all fine, they're okay," Rech soothed her as the door to their room opened. He only looked up from her after a few moments when a uniformed officer approached them. "We think it was someone else..."

She recognized the officer as Major Jax, and the weary expression on his face indicated the solemn news he was bringing to them. He hesitated visibly, struggling to speak though he began several times. "It was Deilia...his sister. He was finally able to tell us. It must've happened while you were all under that sedative; he doesn't remember...feeling it...when it happened."

Reacting as though he had been told his own relative had perished, Rech ran a hand through his hair as he turned and stepped away, shaking his head. Yhren's heart ached for her brother; she knew Rech and Mand had become closer than family to Koril and Elena over the years, especially after all they had been through together. Even with their recent troubles, such heartbreaking grief suffered by one would be felt by all.

"It's a small mercy, then," Mand spoke up quietly from her seat, gently stroking Aruun and Arlen's heads as they continued to sleep against her. "Twins share a very special bond in the Force. Even though they were both untrained, losing his twin sister so suddenly could have been very dangerous for him, too; his heart may not have been able to endure it."

The gravity of the whole situation weighed heavily on everyone present, and Jax only reluctantly broke the tense silence after a lengthy pause. "I came to tell you not only that, but that we've changed course. The Rys'tihn Ghost Heirs have requested to speak to the High Commander...and to you, Master Natiyr, Mrs. Natiyr."

Though Rech and Mand looked to each other with uncertainty, they both nodded, accepting the request, and Jax continued. "I can have a full medical team meet us at the Rys'tihn Retreat to help care for your daughter, Master."

Surprisingly, Rech shook his head. "She should be okay. I would like for them to be on hand for Koril, though. I think he needs a thorough workup after all that's happened this week. I can only do so much."

"Of course, Master. I'll have them waiting for us when we arrive."

"How is he doing right now?"

Again, Jax hesitated. "Not well. His wife is with him, but some of my Elite Guard are keeping their children distracted in another room."

Mand spoke up once more, her voice even softer. "Rech, go. I'll stay here with Cordira."

Though he was obviously somewhat distraught himself, he nodded in agreement, stepping over to her to give her a swift kiss before he lifted the two sleepy twins into his arms. Yhren watched him leave with Jax, concerned for him and for all he was trying to shoulder by himself...until she felt a familiar brush of Force energy against her cheek. It had always been his subtle way of showing her affection, even when they had been separated for years. She had no way of reciprocating it, but she suspected that was why he chose to do it in that manner, as a lighthearted jab at the difference between them. It made her feel a little better, but only momentarily as she remembered what Koril had just lost...

"Are you okay? I mean, I know you're not _okay_, you were taken by slavers, and, I mean - "

"Yes, Saross," she interrupted his awkward stumbling. "I'm alright. I just feel so awful for Koril..."

He nodded sadly. "Me, too. I remember when I was told that I had lost my sister, the exact moment, how devastated I was... I can't imagine how much worse it must feel when it's amplified by the Force."

"Rech told me a few years ago that it's a horrible feeling, like half of your soul is just...taken from you, and you don't want to exist anymore. To be connected that closely to someone is only worth it as long as you both are alive."

"Sounds like the Jedi of the Old Order knew what they were talking about when they forbade families and attachment..."

"Maybe. But I think they missed out on all the good things, too." Still holding tightly to his hand, she gave it a gentle squeeze as she searched his eyes, studying his features with renewed appreciation. The events of the past few days could have turned out very differently for any of them, and for the first time since they had begun their relationship, she was certain she felt nothing but a deep love for Lieutenant Saross Wip sitting with her in the quiet of their room.

"I'm sorry for what happened to you... Some bodyguard I'm turning out to be."

She shook her head to dismiss his regret, squeezing his hand again. "It wasn't your fault. If you had fought back any harder, they might have killed you." Her eyes wandered to the gash at his temple that was still healing from the attack, and her thoughts soon followed. "How did you find me?"

"I had some help. Apparently those slavers haven't exactly been hiding themselves or their dealings in the area, so they weren't difficult to track down. I followed them to their base and was able to create enough of a distraction to get you out before they even knew what was really happening. Major Jax and the Elite Guard were already on their way here after the High Commander fell ill the first time, but they got to the _Celestia_ first and helped all of them. We left Ord Mantell pretty quickly after I got us back to the group."

She sighed, feeling weariness and fatigue pulling her back down onto the bed for the remainder of their trip. As she laid down on her side, Saross stood from the bed and knelt down next to her, lightly brushing his fingers over her cheek. She easily could have fallen asleep with his tender touch, but she didn't want to waste any more of the precious time they had together.

"I was looking forward to Aquilaris so much..."

"So was I. I had all kinds of plans for us, too. We'll have to schedule a trip out there another time, just you and me."

Despite all the sadness and pain she was still feeling, Yhren had to offer a small smile. "I'd like that. No detours?"

Leaning over to her, Saross lifted her chin slightly as he gave her a soft, earnest kiss.

"No detours."


	13. Chapter 13

In all of its years serving the Rys'tihn Royal Family as a sanctuary away from the bustling capital city, Rech was fairly certain that the Rys'tihn Retreat had never been so full of guests while remaining so painfully silent.

More than two dozen Elite Guards of Paneau's Royal Forces were scattered about the grounds securing the Retreat, although it was probably already the safest location on the entire planet before they had arrived. Rech suspected their placement actually had little to do with providing added security; they were only there for Elena's peace of mind, something that Major Jax had always been keenly in tune with. Their children had all just survived an abduction of sorts, although they had been completely unaware of it thanks to the sedative that had kept them sleeping. Still, Jax anticipated heightened anxiety and made adjustments accordingly, but Rech was no longer worried for the children...but rather for his friend.

Rech sat beside his wife Mand on a plush couch in the private gathering room they had been escorted to, and it seemed like they sat together in silence for an hour before they were finally joined by Koril and Elena. Both Rech and Mand stood to meet them, eager to offer any assistance Koril might need, but Elena was quick to hold up a hand in stern warning, shaking her head sharply to deny their aid. Her eyes were red and bereaved as expected, and Rech could even hear her trembling as she breathed, desperately keeping herself together for Koril's sake. They stepped back as Koril walked on his own, his gaze locked in an unfocused, vacant expression that was devoid of everything they had known their friend to be. He somehow made his way to the other couch and slowly sat, resuming his motionless state that had taken over his demeanor since waking up from the sedative days ago. Elena had to draw in and release several shaky breaths before she took her place beside him, but she at least held tightly to his hand as they sat together. Feeling less than useless, Rech returned with Mand to their couch, enduring the agonizing quiet by watching Koril to be sure he continued breathing...

After what felt like another lengthy hour, Cade Rys'tihn, the elder Ghost Heir who had asked to meet with them, finally stepped into the room, wearing an expression not much unlike his nephew's. He was followed closely by his son Garran, someone Rech was not expecting to see. They had met the young man at seventeen, but after protecting Cordira and the Rys'tihn children from a dangerous mercenary, he had left with Deilia to be her companion in exile. Now twenty-two and sporting a leaner physique and a number of new scars on his face, the years away from Paneau appeared to have been just as difficult on him as Rech assumed the past few days had been.

Elena hadn't been expecting to see him, either, as evidenced by the choking sob she allowed to escape as she stood to embrace him. He returned her hold just as tightly, more concerned about comforting her as she trembled against him, but she stepped back from him after a moment, cupping his face with both of her hands as she looked him over.

"Are you okay?" she asked weakly through sobs she was fighting to contain. "Were you hurt?"

Becoming emotional himself, Garran clenched his jaw to control his conflicted expression before he shook his head. "No...I wasn't hurt."

"Please, sit so we can talk."

Cade's invitation went unheeded for a few moments as Garran recovered his composure, but eventually he sat next to his father as Elena returned to Koril's side, taking up his hand again. Rech watched Koril for any sign that he would so much as acknowledge his uncle's presence...but none came, even as the elder Rys'tihn began to speak.

"I know you're all aware that Deilia...that Deilia died three days ago. I brought you here because I wanted to tell you myself what happened. You deserve to know," he paused with a long breath as he looked directly at Rech and Mand, "...and you deserve to know why."

Rech could only stare back dumbfounded. He thought he and Mand had been invited to this meeting as moral support for Koril and Elena through a difficult time, but a sinking feeling in his stomach was beginning to tell him otherwise. How could he or Mand be linked to whatever had happened to Koril's sister?

"Deilia's exile was...largely self-imposed," Cade continued slowly, his voice low and somber. "She arranged it with another Ghost Heir, but it was made to appear genuine to everyone else, including me. She used the time to heal herself of an illness she had contracted, and to find my son Garran and send him home to me. While he was here, she discovered something very important...a key piece of intel we didn't get in time: someone had hired a mercenary to take Cordira."

Beside him, Mand's hand tightened around his arm, but he sat frozen in fear for where this chain of events was headed.

"She blamed herself for not finding it earlier, so with Garran's help, she focused all her energy on hunting whoever it was that had hired the mercenary in the first place. It took her until last month to track him down, and after doing as much recon and planning as she could on her own, she realized that the only way she'd be certain that she'd stopped him...was to go with him."

Visibly unsettled, Garran crossed his arms over his chest to disguise how much his entire body was trembling. Rech knew it wasn't safe to look at Elena who was even more upset, but Mand wasn't faring much better.

"She did all that...to protect _my_ daughter?" Mand asked breathlessly. "Why? Cordira's not a Rys'tihn... She's not your family. There was no reason that Deilia had to _die_ for her."

"She believed she did."

Taken aback by Cade's bluntness, Mand glanced blankly at Rech as the Rys'tihn explained. "You're aware of The Prophecy, correct? The predictions made thousands of years ago by a Jedi ancestor of the Rys'tihns that have, save for the last few remaining, all been proven true?" Earning a nod from both of them, he continued. "Almost all of the predictions have involved Paneau royalty in some way, so it has fallen to the Ghost Heirs over the years to protect the Legacy of Paneau by making sure things happen as they should. Each of the statements have been dissected and analyzed a hundred different ways through the centuries, but typically the interpretations for the prophecies remaining have stayed the same...except for one.

"Deilia studied The Prophecy like no other Heir I've known. When she wasn't on an active mission, she was on dive after dive, looking at that huge underwater mosaic for hours on end. She seemed to think that we had translated one word incorrectly, and that one word would change the entire meaning of its prophecy. She came to believe that word was 'red', and that the prophecy was talking about Cordira.

"You're right," Cade paused briefly, "Cordira's not a Rys'tihn. I told Deilia the same thing I don't know how many times, that we Ghost Heirs owed her nothing, but...she never listened to me. She was so convinced, she believed so hard that there was a reason Cordira _had _to be in Paneau's future, she did almost anything to provide the girl protection, sometimes even more than what we extended to Koril and Elena's children. So when that Kel Dor attacked out of nowhere and very nearly succeeded in kidnapping Cordira... Deilia took it personally. It was her fight to finish."

"Who was it? Who hired the Kel Dor?"

Cade hesitated, straining the silence that much more. "An enemy you've encountered once before... Lucien Darkmyre."

On her feet in an instant, Mand stepped away from the group, folding her arms over her stomach as she shook with uncontrolled breaths. Rech could feel the overwhelming guilt radiating from her even without the Force, making it nearly impossible for him to console her. He stood and enveloped Mand in his arms, doing what he could to at least calm her breathing. Lucien Darkmyre had caused plenty of death and destruction with the Huxnel several years ago on Demmar, but he had most notably rattled Mand after their disastrous encounter. The Dark Jedi had brought back haunting memories of her past she had tried to leave behind, and though she had nearly bested him in a duel, he instead trapped her in layers of debris in a crumbling building. He left Demmar, and unable to follow him, Mand had blamed herself for allowing him to escape. But how did it all come back to him now? Why had he sent the Kel Dor to take Cordira so many years later? After a few moments, Mand stepped back from him and dried tears from her face, turning back to the others once she could take in a breath without gasping.

"Lucien was nothing but vile, and he was extremely dangerous. He almost killed me. Deilia should never have even _attempted_ to approach him alone..."

Garran spoke up weakly. "She wouldn't let me help her."

Mand only felt more guilty. "I didn't... I don't blame you..."

"I do."

Cade put a hand on his son's shoulder. "Garran..."

Garran simply shook his head. "She never told me, but we were tracking his movements for almost two years before we made one last trip to Coruscant on our way to stop Lucien. I see it now, but I had no idea then that she was saying her final goodbyes. She had made this decision a long time ago...and she only let me stay with her as long as I did so I could bring him back to Paneau with me."

Before anyone could ask what he meant, a nine-year-old boy Rech vaguely recognized as Deilia's son Malin, the Tyro Ghost Heir, stepped into the room, tugging a toddler along behind him. The boy held to Malin's hand with an intense grip that matched his scared, hazel eyes partially hidden under a messy, dark brown mop of hair. It was easy to see the relation between the two half-brothers, and Rech felt his heart sink even further in grief for them both.

"This is Wil," Garran introduced the boy softly, picking him up and holding him in his lap, "Deilia's second son. He's two years old, and he's the reason she wouldn't let me do anything to help her. She knew that no matter what happened to her, she wanted Wil to grow up on Paneau, and she wanted me to be there for him. She shouldn't have taken Lucien alone, but like I said, she had already made her decision, and I wasn't part of it."

The room again fell silent as all gazes turned to Wil, watching the boy cuddled in Garran's hold comfortably. The two were essentially cousins, but it was already apparent that Garran had taken on a father-like role for Wil. Perhaps he felt he owed Deilia that much after what she had done for him in the past, or maybe it simply came naturally to him. Either way, the boy would also have been well cared for by Malin and Cade, or even by the rest of the staff at the Rys'tihn Manor...

"Deilia did what she did because she wanted Cordira to be safe from any threat, Mand," Cade finished calmly, looking at them both. "She believed that your daughter is crucial to Paneau's future, and as many Ghost Heirs have done in the past, she died to protect that future. It's something we Heirs know we might face someday, and Deilia wasn't afraid to."

With their explanation over and no further discussion being made, Cade stood after a few minutes and left with Garran, Malin, and Wil, leaving the two couples alone in the private room in a deafening silence. Mand continued to wrestle with paralyzing guilt, burying her face in Rech's shoulder as he held her tightly. Koril and Elena were still seated on the couch behind him, but with his back to them, Rech didn't believe he was hearing Koril's voice until Mand reacted in surprise, too.

"She gave me a warning..."

Turning to face him, Rech watched his friend closely as a single tear rolled down his cheek though he maintained his unfocused gaze. "When I collapsed, just after we left for Aquilaris... I wasn't sick, it was her way of...preparing me...but I was too worried about everything else going on that I didn't pay enough attention.

"You were right," he breathed, turning his head to look at Elena for the first time in days. "When you told me how I'd feel if she were gone...you were right. I feel...emptiness, and the connection I had to her...it's gone, like it was ripped out of me. Only I didn't think I would feel so much..._pain_. I would rather suffer through the Huxnel virus again than endure this for the rest of my life..."

Breaking down into grief-stricken tears again, Mand knelt down beside Koril, having to brace herself against the couch for lack of strength. "Koril... I don't know what to say... I don't know what to do! Please, tell me what you want. If you want us to leave, we'll leave. We'll move out of the Manor, we'll move away... Just please, tell me..."

Displaying even more emotion, Koril shook his head as his brows furrowed together in distress. "No...no, you can't leave. You belong at the Manor. Nothing will change that."

But his reassurances only served to intensify Mand's guilt, and she was nearly inconsolable as Koril slowly stood from his seat and pulled her up to her feet to embrace her tightly. The release of emotions from them both filled the room with shared sadness, but it was a small step towards healing, a process Rech feared could take years.


End file.
